JT Keith
Rule approved 67–60; takes effect in 2026–27
New Mexico high schools have spoken. On Monday, June 22, member schools voted 67–60 to approve a major change to the state’s transfer rule.
Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, students will be allowed one free transfer to another school and will be immediately eligible for athletics at their new school. Homeschool and charter-school statutes still apply, as do recruitment and undue influence rules.
The measure is part of a broader set of revisions to Section 6 of the NMAA Handbook.
NMAA: Flexibility for families, safeguards remain
Member schools finalized the change through a referendum vote following earlier approval by both the NMAA Commission and Board of Directors.
“This change reflects the membership’s desire to provide students and families with greater flexibility while maintaining the safeguards that protect the integrity of interscholastic activities,” NMAA Executive Director Dusty Young said. “The transfer process has been one of the most discussed topics among our schools in recent years, and this adjustment creates a pathway for students making their first transfer. At the same time, our recruitment, undue influence, and home‑school and charter‑school regulations remain firmly in place to ensure a fair and equitable competitive environment for all member schools.”
Local coaches split on the impact
Artesia: ‘Unfortunate’ change
Artesia football coach Jeremy Maupin said he believes the rule could have negative consequences.
“Unfortunate, but we will look into our policies and see how we should approach it,” Maupin said. “I hope I am wrong on the negative impact it possesses.”
Carlsbad: Helps big cities, not small towns
Carlsbad coach Cale Sanders said the rule favors larger metro areas.
“I don’t like it,” Sanders said. “It only helps multi‑school towns. Nobody is transferring to Carlsbad. It helps Albuquerque and Las Cruces make more All‑Star teams than they already do.”
Roswell: Academic concerns and legal pressure
Roswell coach Jeff Lynn said he understands why the NMAA made the change, but remains firmly opposed.
“I am obviously against it,” Lynn said. “I understand the reasoning why the NMAA put that rule in. At some point, you just can’t pay all the legal fees associated with every time a parent gets upset. You will go bankrupt trying to defend that rule.”
“In a state where we are last in education, I don’t think we should be doing anything to hurt our kids academically,” he said. “I believe this rule does that.”
Lynn pointed to research showing that each transfer decreases a student’s chance of graduating by 12 percent.
Roswell students already choose their preferred school first, Lynn said, and can transfer back if it doesn’t work out.
“Does it end with one transfer?” he said. “I think someone is going to challenge the one‑transfer rule, and they are probably going to win. We’re going down a slope where a kid can transfer anytime he or she wants, similar to what is going on in the NCAA.”
Goddard: ‘It’s going to get messy’
Goddard coach Art Bolanos said he sees positives but expects growing pains.
“This is going to force coaches to have good relationships with kids,” Bolanos said. “Not that anyone has bad ones, but I think—it’s a double-edged sword. It’s going to get sloppy, and it’s going to get messy. It will be a couple of years before things get figured out.”