Change to Oklahoma high school athletic transfer rules has been detrimental, some say

A change to Oklahoma’s high school athlete transfer rules has been detrimental to schools, local communities and students, some coaches said.
The rule change grants a one-time exception to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s residency requirement. Students who transferred schools traditionally have been required to wait a year before being allowed to compete, but the high school sports governing board decided late in 2023 to grant each athlete a one-time exemption that allows them to play immediately as long as they had never before transferred schools and declare between July 1-15. If students do not declare by the deadline, they face sitting a year out unless granted a waiver.
The rule no longer requires that a student live within district boundaries. It allows students to continue to live in their hometown while attending districts outside the traditional boundary lines.
The OSSAA, which governs high school sports, said about 900 student-athletes have transferred schools under the new policy, which took effect in July.
“I still think the long term effects will be very detrimental to the development of our athletes and what sports use to teach them,” said Kevin Witt, head football coach and Jones High School athletic director. Jones is a town of 3,169 in Oklahoma County.
Witt said he has lost one athlete to the portal, but gained 14 in all. His school is known for its winning football program with a 6-1 district record and a 9-3 overall record this season, and students want to be a part of it.
But he said that the new open transfer rule “can ruin the high school experience for students. ” The change could ruin one local child’s chance to play if another transfers in that has a little more talent, he said.
Supporters, including OSSAA Executive Director David Jackson, have previously argued that the rule change was “a proactive move,” to compete with the collegiate transfer portal and that it is an opportunity for athletes to have better chances to play their sports.
The OSSAA didn’t respond to requests for comment.
But Mike Maples, head girls basketball coach at Luther High School, said coaches no longer know who will even be on their team. He coaches at a school of about 250 students in east Oklahoma County.
He said coaches could have athletes move in or out in the middle of a school year, which could affect the team and the style of play. Maples said he lost one of his best athletes to the transfer portal. That student now attends a school an hour away from home.
The governing body also suspended a rule that required a student to sit out a year of eligibility if linked to a coach or athletic trainer, Maples said.
With this rule suspended, athletes are able to link with coaches or trainers. Some coaches said it creates new concerns about adults attempting to recruit high school students or youth following coaches to other districts.
“This has always been happening, now it just feels legal,” said Levi Lunsford, a Luther High School head football and track coach. Coaches are being affected by this rule, but so are the student athletes, Lunsford said.
“I think it goes both ways, when it comes to students and coaches being affected,” he said. “From my perspective, one guy can kill my team, a talented athlete who feels they have a better chance elsewhere, can leave their current school and that could ruin a season for any coach.”
But Kevin Sain, an attorney from Idabel, believes the new transfer options don’t go far enough.
He said the new policy contradicts a 2021 law that reformed the state’s school transfer requirements.
Sain runs the organization Citizens of Oklahoma Advocating for Change Within the OSSAA.
Senate Bill 783 requires districts to set enrollment capacities. Students can transfer to any district in the state regardless of where they live if a school has capacity, and they’re in good standing for attendance and discipline. The law allows students to potentially transfer twice each school year.
Sain said he believes student-athlete transfer rules should mirror state law and allow year-round change.
He said only 7% of high school student athletes go on to play in college and allowing open transfers won’t affect that. He said students who move midyear for a variety of reasons, including foster care placement, still face being benched under the current rule.
“I believe that the parents know what’s best for the child,” he said. “Life happens 365 days a year, not just between July 1-15.”
Editor’s note: This story was produced through a reporting partnership between Oklahoma Voice and the University of Central Oklahoma’s journalism program.
