Five misconceptions about the IHSAA’s new transfer rules

Things are about to get crazy in the state of Indiana when it comes to high school athletics.

Beginning June 1, the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) will allow students in most situations to transfer schools for athletic reasons without losing any eligibility. Previously, a student proven to be switching schools purely for athletics faced a period of ineligibility.

It sounds like the state is about to be the wild, wild West with player movement, but will it? The fact is, there will still be plenty of regulations in place regarding transfers. Outside the Huddle has identified five misconceptions to the “new world” of transfer rules in Indiana:

1. Don’t blame the IHSAA

Many have already pointed fingers at the IHSAA for effectively being an enabler to what some believe is an epidemic of athlete transfers in the state. The truth, however, is that if anyone is to blame, it is your own state representatives at the Statehouse.

In April, the House and Senate in Indianapolis approved House Bill 1064, which effectively removed restrictions on athletically-motivated transfers. This falls in line with the state government’s push for School Choice, which has further fueled the fight for funding between public schools and private institutions.

The IHSAA has long attempted to fight any and all transfers that it deemed strictly for athletic reasons. High-profile cases have abounded throughout Indiana. But with elected officials in Indianapolis running counter to that fight with House Bill 1064, the IHSAA had to fall in line and approve its own measures before being forced to.

2. Transfers are nothing new

Let’s be real. It’s not like there haven’t been countless transfers for however many years strictly for athletics. But if you followed the proper protocol and didn’t raise a stink about it on social media or elsewhere, typically the transfer was approved.

It is the few cases that get attention that make the transfer process seem like a sordid and messy affair between parents, schools and the IHSAA.

When it comes right down to it, kids transfer to put themselves in a better spot for a variety of things – fine arts, perhaps a certain foreign language or even just a new, fresh environment where they can start anew.

Is athletics all that different? Or is it because it is in the public eye the most?

3. Seniors can’t transfer without penalty

A key part of this rule is being overlooked by many. According to the IHSAA, athletes will be allowed to transfer with full eligibility between members schools, as long as the transfer occurs during the first semesters of high school.

That means that if an athlete does not transfer prior to the last day of school of his/her junior year, they will not be granted full eligibility.

This is key for those juniors thinking they can transfer to a new school for athletics purposes for their final year without a change of address. That is simply not true.

4. School district rules still apply

Here’s the thing, there will still be a LOT of rules in place.

Want to transfer from a public to private or private to public? That will remain pretty easy as long as you aren’t obvious about why you are switching.

Trying to get into a “closed” district where you MUST live in the boundaries of the school? You better get an address within the area.

Want to transfer between two high schools that are in the same school district without a change of address? Yeah, good luck with that.

A reasonably simple way to get around a lot of the hurdles is to move into the district you want to go to. Or, folks with means to do so may just rent a space within the district and claim it as their home. It’s been done before and will continue to be done. There are always loopholes.

5. “Undue influence” still looms large

This one is big, particularly in basketball. AAU is a setting that sees a lot of relationship building between coaches and kids.

Two terms that are well known around the AAU scene are “undue influence” and “past link.” They also apply to the high school athletics realm as well.

“Undue influence” is a fancy way to say recruiting. Any evidence pointing to the recruitment of a prospective athlete to a program, especially through AAU or 7v7 football, will still be strictly prohibited. This can also include any monetary exchanges, a residence with someone connected to the school, employment of a student’s parent and more.

Does it still happen discreetly? Sure. Will it all of a sudden be open season to recruit? No.

“Past Link” focuses on being part of a non-school sponsored team with anyone affiliated with the school the athlete wants to transfer to. For example, if a player is coached in AAU by someone who then gets a coaching job at a school and that player attempts to transfer to that school, it can be flagged, reviewed by the IHSAA and the transfer potentially denied.