Bill set to limit transfers, add success quotient up for vote

– Dallas Jackson, NationalHSFootball.com

The Nebraska School Activities Association will vote on a bill Monday to slow the increasing amount of transfers for sport within the state.

Legislative Bill 1081 was proposed and discussed at the January NSAA meeting by Sen. Russ Karpisek with an aim to level the playing field by making athletes sit out 180 school days — or the fall, winter, and spring sports season — if they transfer after May 1, without changing residence, and thusly eliminating them from competition the whole year.

Students would have 14 days to reverse the course and return to their original school, without penalty, if they so choose.

Also attached with LB1081 is a proposal to add a point system — similar to the one passed last week in Illinois — which gives points to teams that have had repeated success in the playoffs.

Karpisek has said that the two are tied together because often teams that have repeated success are the ones bringing in transfers and doing so through recruiting.

“I don’t think it’s a level playing field, literally,” Karpisek told Omaha.com.

NSAA executive director, Rhonda Blanford-Green, told the website that the proposal is based on making things fair for everyone.

“It’s a full year for the football guy,” she said. “The football guy never gets to touch the varsity field.

“If you’re a spring sport athlete, you can transfer every year and never have a penalty. That’s the question. Is the penalty for transfers equitable across the board for all students that don’t meet the eligible transfer criteria?”

The current legislation for players who make a certified family move prior to May 1 are not subject to any time away from their new teams, while players to simply transfer schools are ineligible for 90 days.

Early straw polls seem to indicate that administrators and coaches are in favor of expanding the transfer rule.

Where LB1081 could be derailed is with the success quotient.

The system would give schools one point each for winning its district, a state tournament game, a semifinal game and a state championship.

A school that accumulate 12 or more points in a four-year cycle would be reclassified up to the next largest class.

Classification would be determined on a sport-by-sport basis.

The rule was modeled after what was put into place in Indiana for the 2012 season.

The highest profile program from Indiana to be impacted was Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral which had won the Class 4A title in three consecutive years from 2010 through 2012 as well as 2008 and 2006. It was reclassified to Class 5A this season — where it won the state title at that level.

Had Nebraska implemented this rule concurrently with Indiana, Class B program Elkhorn (Neb.) High would have been subject after a run of success from 2009 through 2011 which resulted in a state championship as well as a runner-up performance.

The program did not get forced up and provided a quality test subject as it was unable to sustain its level of success. It went 8-4 in 2012 and 6-4 this past season.

Whether it is passed or not, Karpisek said that the fact the HSAA is addressing the issue will be considered a small victory.

“I hope that all this will get the NSAA talking,” he said. “I think it shines a light on what’s going on.”

The Varsity Board: Will LB1081 pass? Would you vote for it? Sound off.