PHOENIX — The Arizona Interscholastic Association has adopted new transfer eligibility rules in response to the fallout from a California high school canceling its football season and sending players across state lines.
Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California, shut down its 2025 varsity football season earlier this month after state officials uncovered violations tied to recruiting and false information in transfer paperwork. Nineteen players were ruled ineligible until 2027 by the CIF Southern Section. Several of those athletes, including four who enrolled at Mesa High School, transferred to Arizona in search of playing opportunities.
In a special meeting Friday, the AIA Executive Board approved emergency bylaw changes aimed squarely at limiting out-of-state transfers that occur after a season has already started. Under the new language, if a student transfers from out of state during the season and has already practiced or competed at their former school, that student will be ineligible for one year in that sport at their new Arizona school. Military families are exempt from the rule, and hardship appeals remain available.
The board also addressed disciplinary cases. Students suspended, expelled or otherwise removed from a school for disciplinary or academic reasons will be ineligible to compete at another school for one year, or until they meet reinstatement conditions at the original school.
AIA Executive Director Dr. Jim Dean said the changes were meant to protect Arizona athletes from losing roster spots or opportunities to players transferring purely for athletic advantage. He said the emergency legislation was about maintaining fairness while reinforcing the state’s existing eligibility processes.
The AIA clarified that these changes will not impact students who were already enrolled at Arizona schools prior to the Sept. 19 rule change. The new language will be presented to the Legislative Council in March 2026 for formal codification.
