With the beginning of the 2023 high school football season, comes a new WVSSAC transfer rule. This new rule has resulted in many high-scoring games with scores in the 70s, 80s, and even 90s.

Due to these scores, many believe that the transfer rule is being taken advantage of, as it allows students to transfer to larger, more successful schools without penalty. Football, however, is not the only sport that will be affected by this change. Other sports such as basketball, wrestling, and baseball are likely to experience the same spike in blowout games.

Another aspect of sports this rule will affect is sports recruiting. Even before the transfer bill, high school recruiting was heavily restricted, although difficult to enforce. To show how restricted recruiting was, WVSSAC rule 127-2-9 states, “The use of influence by a person or group, connected or not connected with the school, to secure or retain a student for athletic participation is not permitted and may cause the student to be ineligible and may cause certain sanctions to be placed against the member school.” Prior to the transfer rule, there were many infractions regarding this rule, but not many were caught.

To show the effect of the transfer rule, the WVSSAC released statistics stating that since the rule has been enacted, over 430 athletic transfers have taken place. For comparison, the WVSSAC cites that less than 140 transfer waivers were granted for all sports in all seasons from January 2021 through spring of 2023 before this rule was in place. This drastic increase is clear evidence that some students may be switching schools just to play for a certain school’s team.

Another set of data from the WVSSAC suggests that nearly 160 games in 2023 have been shortened or used the running clock procedure due to point differentials of 35 points or higher. If this procedure continues, many more games will be cut short, causing more student athletes to lose playing time.

When it passed, the transfer rule was met with widespread criticism by coaches and parents. However, there are some who support this bill. They argue that students should have the ultimate say in where they want to go to school, and developing a culture that makes kids want to stay is important.

Overall, the new transfer rule has greatly impacted the 2023 season. The number of high-scoring games will most likely continue to rise because of the transfer rule. Evidence points towards the rule being a negative change, though some coaches and parents view it as a positive.