New Mexico's NMAA to vote on one-time transfer rule this week

There could be a massive change coming to the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) this week, according to a report by the Albuquerque Journal.

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Per the report, the NMAA Board of Directors is set to meet this week on Thursday to vote on a proposed bylaw that would allow student-athletes one “free” transfer starting with the 2026-27 season. When it comes to eligibility for student-athletes in the Land of Enchantment, it could reshape the high school athletics world as many currently know it.

“It’s been a work in progress for several years now,” NMAA executive director Dusty Young said per the report. “It’s been on our radar for quite some time.”

Belief around the state of New Mexico via the report is that the potential new bylaw will pass the necessary multiple steps it would need to go through in order to go into effect for the upcoming school year.

Thursday would be the first of the two hurdles, with the NMAA board voting in favor of passing the proposed bylaw. If or when it passes through the NMAA board, it would then go to the member schools of the association for a vote, which if passed, would then head into becoming a new bylaw.

When it comes to new transfer rules for states around the country, one that has recently voted into law one like New Mexico is over in the Volunteer State with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA).

The TSSAA voted back in late February voted to allow student-athletes one free transfer throughout their eligibility without restrictions. Tennessee has since then placed limited restrictions, with grandfathering in that if you’re a student-athlete who has already transferred in your high school career, that you have used up your one freebie.

Now with New Mexico likely on the precipice of becoming the latest to enact a bylaw regarding student-athlete transferring, many believe the good teams will just get better and the remainder will face an uphill climb in trying to remain competitive.

“I’m afraid the best teams are gonna stay better and the rest will struggle because they can’t compete,” Del Norte boys basketball coach Jeron McIntosh said in the report. “I would say in the last 18 months, it’s become a very hot topic. Not just here in New Mexico but across the United States. There are so many variables today.”

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