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The music has stopped. For the moment. And now everybody takes a chair.
The first month of New Mexico’s one free transfer rule, part of an expansive new bylaw in the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) handbook, has come and gone.
It went into effect at the start of July after member schools approved the measure by a slim 67-60 margin in a summer vote.
On Monday, many players will show up for the first day of practice wearing different colors than the ones they were wearing last fall.
As fully expected, the Albuquerque metro area, where the largest percentage of football-playing schools are located, featured more movement than anywhere else.
Reigning Class 6A state champion Cleveland was a noticeable beneficiary of the new transfer rule, and two of their prominent transfers hail from district rivals.
Volcano Vista running back D’Angelo Mitchell rushed for almost 800 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Hawks, but he has transferred to Cleveland.
So has excellent Rio Rancho edge rusher Jacari Smith, who recorded seven sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hurries in the 2025 season. He, too, will be in Storm colors.
“They’re both top tier,” Cleveland coach Robert Garza said. “That type of caliber athlete is definitely … going to make your team a little better. … (But), nobody wants to lose athletes, it’s a tough thing.”
Rio Rancho’s approach, taken as a whole, is an interesting one. District AD Todd Resch in June told the Journal that he believed the district would all but prohibit transfers between Rio Rancho and Cleveland, despite the new language in the NMAA handbook.
“That was our stance originally,” Resch said.
That is no longer the case. It is, in fact, 180 degrees from that.
“Since then, Rio Rancho Public Schools leadership has sat down and had some thoughtful discussions to see what this impact would be,” Resch said earlier this week. “We determined it would be in the district’s best interest to align ourselves with the NMAA’s rule change.”
Resch said there already have been a “handful” of transfers between the two powers, who each are extremely competitive in just about every boys and girls sport offered by the NMAA.
Not all the transfers are rooted in athletics, Resch noted.
No 6A football program generated more noise with this new transfer rule than Sandia. It was Atrisco Heritage that paid the price.
Deon Session is a stellar two-sport athlete, and he was a standout at Atrisco before he transferred to Sandia, giving the Matadors — a still young team with an array of dangerous skill-position athletes — an extra weapon in both football and basketball.
J’ven Smith, a former receiver at Atrisco, also will be with Sandia this fall, giving senior quarterback Jahleel Lewis yet another talented option in what is sure to be a potent Matadors attack.
“I truly care for these kids,” Atrisco coach Dominic Casaus said when asked about losing that duo. “And I care for both those boys. If there is a better fit for them, that’s what the rule is intended for. It might sound odd, but I support them.”
Receiver Juan Carlos Landeros doesn’t bring much size to the table, but he has earned some rave reviews this summer as he has changed schools, from Albuquerque High to Eldorado, and this could be a very nice addition for the Eagles who already possess an excellent group of skill athletes.
One of the most interesting transfers occurred 300-plus miles away, with senior defensive end Amryn Wheeler leaving Class 6A Hobbs for 4A program Lovington. Rival coaches describe Wheeler as a definite difference maker; of note, he plays both football and basketball, and in 4A he should be especially conspicuous. It was not known what precipitated his transfer from the Eagles to the Wildcats and whether it was related to football or basketball.
By and large, in the state’s other cities where there are multiple public high schools, it’s been relatively quiet in terms of transfers, based on feedback.
“I haven’t seen anything out of the norm,” Santa Fe Public Schools district athletic director Nick Salazar said, asked about the volume of transfers. “Just like last summer.”
Las Cruces has maintained perhaps the hardest line, with transfers only accepted if they do a bona fide move from one district to another. If they transfer without a move, they’d have to sit out a varsity season. Thus, kids largely have remained anchored where they were.
“I’m pretty proud of our district for doing this,” Las Cruces High football coach Mark Lopez said.
Movement between football athletes at Los Lunas and Valencia has been almost nonexistent, Tigers football coach Stephen Johnston said.
Britt Cooper, the district athletic director in Roswell, said there is usually a relatively small number of students who switch between Goddard and Roswell in any given year. But he said he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary this July.
“I expected a few more (transfers),” Cooper said. “So far, about normal.”
The rivalry in Las Vegas between Robertson and West Las Vegas is notoriously intense across the board, especially in football.
Dons athletic director Richard Tripp said WLV has picked up several transfer students from Robertson, but no athlete, he said, that really moves the needle.
“Almost none, to be honest with you,” Tripp said. Strong ties between friends who have grown up and played together for many years, he said, are a strong force in keeping athletes where they are, regardless of the city.
Of course, the transfer process will be an ongoing one throughout the school year, and in fact, there could even be an uptick now that football is kicking off.
“I know it will increase now that school is starting,” Salazar said.
NMAA executive director Dusty Young estimated that New Mexico sees 500-600 transfer eligibility requests in an average school year, but the NMAA is not tracking the number on a monthly basis, so there is no way to know how this July compares to any other recent July.
And there figures to be constant fluidity in the numbers. The other three fall sports — soccer, volleyball, cross country — open officially on Aug. 10, so athletes in those sports have until the end of the upcoming week to transfer — if, that is, their intention is to try and play at the varsity level at their new school.
If they don’t transfer by a certain sport’s start date, they won’t be eligible for anything other than sub-varsity competition this school year. This will hold true for every fall, winter and spring sport.
Furthermore, there appears to be general agreement that a number of athletes around the state will begin the 2026-27 prep calendar at one school, but finish it in May at another.
One fear coaches felt would come to fruition under this new transfer rule has apparently been occurring. Multiple sources told the Journal that there has been a healthy dose of recruiting going on behind the scenes with athletes being contacted directly by representatives of other schools in an effort to lure them elsewhere.
Should any undue influence be proven by the NMAA — and this was always going to be a sticky issue, trying to verify such incidents — the offending school could face a huge monetary fine (up to $5,000) and other sanctions could be in play.
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at [email protected] or via X at @JamesDYodice.
Continue reading...
The first month of New Mexico’s one free transfer rule, part of an expansive new bylaw in the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) handbook, has come and gone.
It went into effect at the start of July after member schools approved the measure by a slim 67-60 margin in a summer vote.
On Monday, many players will show up for the first day of practice wearing different colors than the ones they were wearing last fall.
As fully expected, the Albuquerque metro area, where the largest percentage of football-playing schools are located, featured more movement than anywhere else.
Reigning Class 6A state champion Cleveland was a noticeable beneficiary of the new transfer rule, and two of their prominent transfers hail from district rivals.
Volcano Vista running back D’Angelo Mitchell rushed for almost 800 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Hawks, but he has transferred to Cleveland.
So has excellent Rio Rancho edge rusher Jacari Smith, who recorded seven sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hurries in the 2025 season. He, too, will be in Storm colors.
“They’re both top tier,” Cleveland coach Robert Garza said. “That type of caliber athlete is definitely … going to make your team a little better. … (But), nobody wants to lose athletes, it’s a tough thing.”
Rio Rancho’s approach, taken as a whole, is an interesting one. District AD Todd Resch in June told the Journal that he believed the district would all but prohibit transfers between Rio Rancho and Cleveland, despite the new language in the NMAA handbook.
“That was our stance originally,” Resch said.
That is no longer the case. It is, in fact, 180 degrees from that.
“Since then, Rio Rancho Public Schools leadership has sat down and had some thoughtful discussions to see what this impact would be,” Resch said earlier this week. “We determined it would be in the district’s best interest to align ourselves with the NMAA’s rule change.”
Resch said there already have been a “handful” of transfers between the two powers, who each are extremely competitive in just about every boys and girls sport offered by the NMAA.
Not all the transfers are rooted in athletics, Resch noted.
No 6A football program generated more noise with this new transfer rule than Sandia. It was Atrisco Heritage that paid the price.
Deon Session is a stellar two-sport athlete, and he was a standout at Atrisco before he transferred to Sandia, giving the Matadors — a still young team with an array of dangerous skill-position athletes — an extra weapon in both football and basketball.
J’ven Smith, a former receiver at Atrisco, also will be with Sandia this fall, giving senior quarterback Jahleel Lewis yet another talented option in what is sure to be a potent Matadors attack.
“I truly care for these kids,” Atrisco coach Dominic Casaus said when asked about losing that duo. “And I care for both those boys. If there is a better fit for them, that’s what the rule is intended for. It might sound odd, but I support them.”
Receiver Juan Carlos Landeros doesn’t bring much size to the table, but he has earned some rave reviews this summer as he has changed schools, from Albuquerque High to Eldorado, and this could be a very nice addition for the Eagles who already possess an excellent group of skill athletes.
One of the most interesting transfers occurred 300-plus miles away, with senior defensive end Amryn Wheeler leaving Class 6A Hobbs for 4A program Lovington. Rival coaches describe Wheeler as a definite difference maker; of note, he plays both football and basketball, and in 4A he should be especially conspicuous. It was not known what precipitated his transfer from the Eagles to the Wildcats and whether it was related to football or basketball.
By and large, in the state’s other cities where there are multiple public high schools, it’s been relatively quiet in terms of transfers, based on feedback.
“I haven’t seen anything out of the norm,” Santa Fe Public Schools district athletic director Nick Salazar said, asked about the volume of transfers. “Just like last summer.”
Las Cruces has maintained perhaps the hardest line, with transfers only accepted if they do a bona fide move from one district to another. If they transfer without a move, they’d have to sit out a varsity season. Thus, kids largely have remained anchored where they were.
“I’m pretty proud of our district for doing this,” Las Cruces High football coach Mark Lopez said.
Movement between football athletes at Los Lunas and Valencia has been almost nonexistent, Tigers football coach Stephen Johnston said.
Britt Cooper, the district athletic director in Roswell, said there is usually a relatively small number of students who switch between Goddard and Roswell in any given year. But he said he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary this July.
“I expected a few more (transfers),” Cooper said. “So far, about normal.”
The rivalry in Las Vegas between Robertson and West Las Vegas is notoriously intense across the board, especially in football.
Dons athletic director Richard Tripp said WLV has picked up several transfer students from Robertson, but no athlete, he said, that really moves the needle.
“Almost none, to be honest with you,” Tripp said. Strong ties between friends who have grown up and played together for many years, he said, are a strong force in keeping athletes where they are, regardless of the city.
Of course, the transfer process will be an ongoing one throughout the school year, and in fact, there could even be an uptick now that football is kicking off.
“I know it will increase now that school is starting,” Salazar said.
NMAA executive director Dusty Young estimated that New Mexico sees 500-600 transfer eligibility requests in an average school year, but the NMAA is not tracking the number on a monthly basis, so there is no way to know how this July compares to any other recent July.
And there figures to be constant fluidity in the numbers. The other three fall sports — soccer, volleyball, cross country — open officially on Aug. 10, so athletes in those sports have until the end of the upcoming week to transfer — if, that is, their intention is to try and play at the varsity level at their new school.
If they don’t transfer by a certain sport’s start date, they won’t be eligible for anything other than sub-varsity competition this school year. This will hold true for every fall, winter and spring sport.
Furthermore, there appears to be general agreement that a number of athletes around the state will begin the 2026-27 prep calendar at one school, but finish it in May at another.
One fear coaches felt would come to fruition under this new transfer rule has apparently been occurring. Multiple sources told the Journal that there has been a healthy dose of recruiting going on behind the scenes with athletes being contacted directly by representatives of other schools in an effort to lure them elsewhere.
Should any undue influence be proven by the NMAA — and this was always going to be a sticky issue, trying to verify such incidents — the offending school could face a huge monetary fine (up to $5,000) and other sanctions could be in play.
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at [email protected] or via X at @JamesDYodice.
Continue reading...
