Tennessee

Tennessee High School Sports governing body approves one-time transfer

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2025

Tennessee High School Sports governing body approves one-time transfer

The governing body for Tennessee high school sports approved the one-time transfer proposal for athletes. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Legislative Council ratified the policy via an 8-4 vote, allowing students one free transfer to another school.

However, as The Tennessean’s Tyler Palmateer wrote, the transfer cannot be for athletic reasons. The transfer is only valid if addressed through the TSSAA’s hardship rule. Therefore, the transfer can only be valid under academic, environmental, social-emotional, or mental health reasons. Likewise, the school administrator from the school of origin must validate that the transfer is not for disciplinary or athletic reasons.

The one-time transfer proposal underwent three voting opportunities, but with different guidelines. The first voting occurred last month based on the proposal made by Chattanooga’s Baylor School, which mirrors House Bill 0025 filed by Representative Scott Cepicky. The common language is that all Tennessee high school sports athletes are allowed a one-time transfer regardless of reason.

The TSSAA Legislative Council denied that proposal in a 12-0 vote, partly because of Florida’s loose transfer rules. Governor Rick Scott signed the law in 2016, allowing Florida high school athletes to enroll in any public school that hasn’t reached its student capacity. In doing so, the student-athlete immediately becomes eligible to play for the new school.

Meanwhile, St. Andrew’s-Sewanee proposed that transferring students for academic reasons can retain their varsity eligibility. However, the principals of the school of origin and school of transfer must validate the academic transfer. The council unanimously denied this proposal as well.

Originally slated for an April return, the council conducted a special meeting to finalize the proposal. An approval of a statewide school voucher program added pressure to the athletic governing body to finalize the transfer rule. But in doing so, the TSSAA staff proposed a revised policy which was put to vote.

Before the new transfer policy, Tennessee high school sports athletes who transferred to a school in a different zone must satisfy a one-year residency. However, that rule is void if the athlete can prove a valid change of address.

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Tennessee

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Published

14 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Florida is back in The Swamp on Saturday for the first time since Oct. 18, just in time for a rivalry matchup with No. 20 Tennessee.

The Gators walked away from their three-game road trip winless and interim coach Billy Gonzales is still yet to win a game. But while their 3-7 record eliminates them from bowl eligibility, the Gators still have plenty to play for. Tennessee and Florida State are the last two opponents on Florida’s schedule and historically create gritty matchups with bragging rights that go a long way. The Gators haven’t lost at home to Tennessee since 2003 and won’t play the Vols for two years with the SEC’s new scheduling practices.

Here are Florida’s five keys to taking down Tennessee’s high-powered offense and keeping the win streak alive.

Pressure Joey

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar leads one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Aguilar is first in the SEC with 2,737 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tennessee averages over 44 points per game and will blow the game open if you allow Aguilar to get comfortable.

Florida bringing defensive tackle Caleb Banks back into its lineup could be a game-changer after he’s missed the last seven games. His ability to stop the run and pressure the quarterback could force Aguilar to make quicker decisions and, in turn, make mistakes. Banks hasn’t really been on the field all season, but will instantly draw the Tennessee offensive line’s attention, which could provide openings for the rest of the defensive line.

Florida has only recorded 21 sacks this year, a clip that needs to improve if the Gators are going to slow down the Volunteer offense.

Limit Big Plays

Florida’s secondary is another area that needs to show out Saturday.

Tennessee is 14th in the country in passing yards per completion, near Ole Miss and Texas A&M, who both caused problems downfield for Florida. The wide receiver trio of Chris Brazzell II, Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews is elite. They are all within the top seven in the SEC in receiving yards. Brazzell leads with 808. Matthews, the worst statistically of the three, still has 200 more yards than Vernell Brown III, Florida’s leading receiver this year.

The Gators will have to watch out for the deep ball. Safety Bryce Thornton will be a major difference maker, but that’s if he makes it onto the field. He’s currently questionable, but his ball-hawking ability can create takeaways.

Show Up Every Play

Gonzales said it’s inevitable for a team like Tennessee to create big plays, but the real battle is making sure you get right up and prevent them from continuing.

That’s the exact mindset Florida’s defense needs to have going into Saturday.

At risk of becoming repetitive, the Volunteers’ offense is the most explosive part of their team. It’s how they win games. If the Gator defense can keep Tennessee under 30, they will have a chance to score the major upset.

Protect the Quarterback

DJ Lagway showed some slight improvement in Florida’s loss to Ole Miss. His long touchdown toss to receiver J. Michael Sturdivant with the sophomore signal-caller’s feet planted shows what he can do when he is confident and can get his mechanics set. That starts with the offensive line.

Austin Barber has struggled this season at left tackle. Lagway naturally tends to float out of the pocket, so when the offensive line is poor he is quick to escape toward the sideline. This encourages his off-balance throws, which have been notably inaccurate this season. Florida needs to prevent that as much as possible to allow Lagway to put points on the board. Tennessee scores a lot. If the Gators are going to keep up offensively, Lagway needs to have a near-perfect situation when throwing.

Make it Ugly

Sometimes rivalry games produce results that you wouldn’t expect, only because of the sheer emotion of the matchup. Fights break out and trash talk, exotic celebrations reign. So while the Gators have definitely been worse than Tennessee this season, a hard-mouthed, ugly game that gets the crowd involved can bridge the gap in on-the-field quality.

The Gators upset the Vols last time they came to The Swamp and a late hit on Graham Mertz after a quarterback kneel resulted in a fight after the final whistle. The home team has won four years straight in this rivalry for a reason. Getting Tennessee frustrated and keeping the crowd in the game can be an advantage.