Texas high school coaches association believe lawmakers may propose transfer portal

Could a high school sports transfer portal be coming to the Lone Star State?

According to a The Dallas Morning News report, those at the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) are concerned that state legislators may propose such an idea, though the University Interscholastic League (UIL) doesn’t permit student-athletes to transfer schools just for athletic purposes.

“We haven’t heard that anybody is going to present that, but we anticipate that might happen,” THSCA executive director Joe Martin said to The Dallas Morning News. “We’re very concerned about an appetite by legislators for a transfer portal similar to what we see in college athletics, and with Governor [Greg] Abbott’s desire to create open enrollment across the state of Texas and to give parents an opportunity to send their kids wherever they want to go.”

A huge challenge for us and the UIL is to keep our residence rule. If we don’t keep that residence rule, I think it will be extremely detrimental to Texas high school athletics. We feel like we are in a real potential here for disaster.”

If such a proposal comes from state lawmakers, per the report, it wouldn’t be the first time Texas has had to face the idea of a transfer portal coming to high school sports.

Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, D-San Antonio, proposed a bill that if passed, would’ve allowed student-athletes a one-time transfer to go outside of their district boundaries for athletic purposes. The bill faced great opposition and was ultimately shot down.

The report points to a state like Florida, which allows school choice and currently an unlimited amount of transfers, with athletic eligibility depending on school district, being granted sometimes in a matter of days.

Martin states that the two states are unalike as Florida features lesser state championship games and smaller crowds for those, with Texas high school football featuring 12 title matches and well over 200,000 in attendance in total for the contests at AT&T Stadium.

“Florida has a transfer rule now that you are eligible within 24 hours,” Martin added in the report. “You can go wherever you want to go. They have eight football state championship games, we have 12. Their attendance at those eight football state championships is under 20,000 total. Ours is over 200,000. In Texas, it’s community based. In Florida, those kids are not living where they are playing.”

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 2025 football state championship finals drew 21,584 fans (1A-7A totals; 8 games) compared to the UIL’s 191,815 fans for the 12 Texas high school title games.

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