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Stacking the deck with prep players?

Tribune photo by BILL WARD

Carlton Gunn, center, stands with his two sons, Jarrold, left, and Andre. A standout in both basebal and football, Andre Gunn recently transferred from Middleton High to Hillsborough High. The Gunn family cited academic issues as the reason Andre made the switch to Hillsborough.

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By KATHERINE SMITH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 11, 2009

TAMPA Jefferson High School football coach Mike Fenton was recently enjoying a quiet Sunday at home when a text message from a player jolted him out of his relaxed state.

"I'm transferring to Plant," the text read.

That it was one of Fenton's better players hurt, but also heightened the coach's belief that the culture of high school football in Hillsborough County has changed — and not for the better.

"It's not about winning games on Friday night anymore," Fenton said. "You win them in the off-season by who gets the most players to transfer to their teams."

As Hillsborough County football enjoys its greatest success with four state championships since 2003, it has seen an increase in players moving from team to team.

Since January, at least 43 players have transferred to different schools, some more than once. Division I college prospect Eric Hammond went from Chamberlain to Hillsborough to Wharton in the span of three months.

"I think it's too many," said Lanness Robinson, Hillsborough County's athletic director. "I think it's a high number."

And those are the numbers, Robinson cautioned, that coaches have offered up. He fears there are many more. The Florida High School Athletic Association is aware of Hillsborough County's transfer numbers, but it's barely a blip on the radar.

"Thirty to 50? There are at least 150 in Broward County by now," said Sonny Hester, the FHSAA's associate executive director.

Hillsborough County is the third-largest school district in the state with nearly 195,000 students. Broward is second with about 265,000 students. Miami-Dade County leads the state with roughly 355,000 students.

To combat rampant transfers in the 1990s, Miami-Dade implemented a rule that players must sit out a year if they transfer for athletic reasons.

Hillsborough County follows FHSAA's rules regarding transfers: Players must move into the school's attendance district, apply for school choice or receive a special assignment.

Though the numbers this year are troublesome to Robinson, he isn't surprised by them. He points to increased high school sports coverage in the media as part of the problem, but also acknowledges that prep football has become big business.

"When you look at the fact of how much college tuition is and that scholarships are at stake, you can understand how some parents look at it as a business," Robinson said. "Parents are trying to decide what's the best decision I can make for my child."

Some of those decisions can backfire. Last year, former Plant City High running back Sirchauncey Holloway was forced to sit out his senior year after it was discovered he wasn't living at the address listed on his transfer application to gain admittance to Armwood. Many coaches thought that would serve as the ultimate cautionary tale, but the number of off-season transfers more than doubled this year, compared with last.

"It's gotten to the point where it's almost a pandemic in the county," Robinson coach Mike DePue said. "I don't know if there is a solution. Basically, you can do whatever you want."

The growing numbers can partly be attributed to players with a "grass is greener" mentality and parents willing to uproot their families to place their children with teams that consistently make the playoffs, win championships and garner attention from top colleges.

"It's just natural for people to want to be a part of something special," said Plant coach Robert Weiner, who has seen the number of players coming out for football more than quadruple since he became the head coach in 2004 and won two state titles.

Hillsborough High coach Earl Garcia said athletes are unfairly criticized for transferring.

"As a parent, if you send your child to a performing arts school because he or she plays an instrument, then you're the doting parent and a caring parent," Garcia said. "However, if you send them to another school for another reason, then you're a cheater."

Some of the same schools that have benefited from transfers have also dealt with allegations of recruiting. Last year, when an Alonso player transferred, Ravens coach Mike Heldt joked that they lost him to "free agency" and that the other team had a "bigger salary cap."

Recruiting is prohibited in high school sports and is subject to punishment and fines by the FHSAA, but it's hard to police.

"Proving recruiting is very expensive and difficult," said Hester, with the FHSAA. "Out of 500 allegations, we make five or 10 cases [a year]. Five percent of all cases are cracked. It's all he-said, she-said. Every case we do has to hold up in court."

Armwood coach Sean Callahan said there's a simple solution to end the finger-pointing and bickering associated with transferring.

"I think it should be open," Callahan said. "I think it should just be like our academics and our magnet programs. I think that would alleviate so much stress and headache in this county, and I don't think that anybody would be getting that much of an advantage."

Some argue, though, that would only further complicate the problem.

"I'm in favor of new rules making it more difficult," Robinson, the county athletic director, said. "That would be a school board decision, and I would like to see it addressed."

From the FHSAA 2008-09 Handbook Bylaws section on transfers

11.4.1 A student who initially enrolls in, or engages in an athletic practice at, one member school in a school year and transfers attendance to another member school during that same school year shall be considered to be a transfer student and therefore subject to the bylaws related to students who transfer from one school to another.

11.4.2 A student who enrolls in a member school following his/her initial enrollment in, or engagement in an athletic practice at, another school for that school year shall be ineligible to represent the new school he/she is attending for the duration of the school year. This rule shall not apply if the change of attendance from one school to another is accompanied by a corresponding change in residence on the part of the student's parent(s) or other individual with whom the student has lived continuously for a full calendar year, which makes it necessary for him/her to attend a different school.

11.4.3 The provisions of Article 11.4.2 may be waived if the benefit of athletic eligibility is requested in writing by the principal of the school to which he/she transfers and the principal of the school from which he/she transfers consents to such waiver in writing on a form to be furnished by the Executive Director. To be effective as a waiver of the provisions of Article 11.4.2, the properly executed original form must be filed in the office of this Association together with the annual eligibility report for the requesting school.

Such waiver is not effective until both the annual eligibility report and the original application for waiver of the transfer rule are received in the office of this Association. A principal should consider not approving an application for waiver of the transfer rule when he/she has evidence that reasonably leads him/her to believe that:

(a) the student is being recruited;
(b) the student is transferring in whole or in part for athletic reasons; or
(c) the student is transferring because of disciplinary reasons and/or misconduct.

HOWEVER, a student who transfers to a member school without a corresponding change of residence on the part of the student's parent(s) or other individual with
whom the student has lived continuously for a full calendar year, which makes it necessary for him/her to attend a different school, on or after the beginning of any
sports season (first day of practice) shall not be eligible to compete in that sport for the duration of that school year.

The "Application for Waiver of the Transfer Rule" is Form EL6 on FHSAA.org.

11.4.4 A student who has participated as a member of a senior high school in interscholastic athletic competition during a school year prior to his/her application for membership in a home education cooperative shall be ineligible to represent that cooperative in interscholastic athletic competition for the duration of that school year unless a properly executed "Application for Waiver of the Transfer Rule" is obtained from the principal of the senior high school, and vice versa.

A student who withdraws from a regular school program to enroll in a home education program and who is ineligible at the time of withdrawal from the regular school program due to his/her failure to meet academic or behavioral eligibility standards shall be ineligible to compete in interscholastic athletic competition as a home education student until he/she has successfully completed one semester in home education.

11.4.5 If a student who has transferred from one school to another after his/her initial enrollment in a member school for that school year without a corresponding change of residence which made it necessary for him/her to change schools and has secured an application for waiver of the transfer rule then elects to transfer to a third school without a corresponding change of residence which would make it necessary for him/her to change schools during that same school year, it will be necessary for him/her to secure applications for waiver of the transfer rule from all schools previously attended within that school year.

11.4.6 A student who transfers from a non-member school to a member school without a corresponding change of residence shall not be eligible to compete during a sports season unless his/her transfer occurred prior to the first day of practice for that sport.

11.4.7 A transfer student may represent the school to which he/she transfers on the sixth day following the date of his/her entry into that school, provided his/her transfer record has been received by the principal of the school to which he/she has transferred and provided he/she meets all eligibility requirements. A transfer
record is an official written transcript signed by the principal or his/her authorized representative of the school from which the student transferred.

11.4.8 The principal of a member school shall verify the eligibility status of a student who has transferred to another member school when requested to do so by the principal of the receiving school.

11.4.9 A student who represents a school in a state championship series sponsored by this Association in a sport during the current school year may not transfer to another school and represent the school to which he/she transfers in the remainder of the state championship series in that sport.

11.4.10 A student who is ineligible, at the time of transfer from one school to another school, because of disciplinary action or because of unsatisfactory conduct,
shall not be considered for eligibility at the school to which he/she transfers until he/she has been enrolled in that school for a full semester. Enrolling in a new
school at the beginning of the school year does not decrease or eliminate the period of ineligibility.

11.4.11 A student who transfers to a member school from a school in another state or country who has been declared ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics by the school from which he/she is transferring or by a governing association of which that school is a member shall not be eligible to participate at the member school until he/she has been enrolled in that school for a full semester.

11.4.12 Participation by a student in non-school athletics (i.e. AAU, American Legion, club settings, etc.) on a team that is affiliated with any school other than the school which the student attends, or attended the prior year, followed by enrollment by that student in the affiliated school shall be considered prima facie evidence of recruiting by the school to which that student enrolled, or that the student enrolled in that school in whole or in part for athletic reasons.

Unless this prima facie evidence of recruiting or that the student enrolled in the new school in whole or in part for athletic reasons is disproved by the school and student to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, the student shall be ineligible to represent that school in interscholastic athletic competition for a period of 365 consecutive days from the date of his/her enrollment in that school. A team affiliated with the school is one that is organized by and/or coached by any member of the coaching staff at, or any other person affiliated with, that school; and/or on which the majority of the members of the team (participants in practice and/or competition) are students who attend that school.

11.4.13 A student who transfers to a new school within one calendar year of the relocation of his/her coach to that school without a corresponding change in residence shall be considered to have transferred for athletic reasons and shall not be eligible to participate in the sport(s) coached by that coach for one calendar year from the date of enrollment in the new school.

11.4.14 A student who marries and sets up residence in a different school community may represent the school which serves that community, provided the change in residence is immediate and he/she meets all eligibility requirements.

11.4.15 The assignment or reassignment of a student by the District School Board to a school other than that school in which he/she initially enrolled or at which he/she engaged in an athletic practice for that school year shall not bestow upon the student athletic eligibility in the new school unless benefit of eligibility is requested upon a form to be furnished by the Executive Director. This form must bear the signature of the District School Board Chairman, the District School Superintendent or the signature of the principal of the school from which the student transferred, and the principal of the school to which the student transferred.

To be effective as a waiver of these provisions, the properly executed original form must be filed in the office of this Association together with the annual eligibility report for the requesting school. Such waiver is not effective until both the annual eligibility report and the original application for waiver of the transfer rule are received in the office of this Association. A student who transfers to a member school without a corresponding change of residence on or after the beginning of any sports season (first day of practice) shall not be eligible to compete in that sport for the duration of that school year.

11.4.16 Majority to minority assignments duly made by the District School Board shall not become effective until eligibility is requested on a form to be furnished by the Executive Director. The principal of the sending school should grant the waiver after investigating and determining that the student's transfer is from his/her racial majority to his/her racial minority school.

11.4.17 A student who is assigned to or otherwise enrolls in an out of district public school, or a nonpublic school, may be assigned to or enroll in the public school which serves his/her district without loss of eligibility, due to the transfer, provided he/she meets all other eligibility requirements. A student who transfers to a member school without a corresponding change of residence on or after the beginning of any sports season (first da y of practice) shall not be eligible to compete in that sport for the duration of that school year.

11.4.18 If the District School Board changes the school to which a student is assigned to attend, the student shall be declared eligible by the principal of the school to which he/she has been transferred, provided he/she meets all other eligibility requirements and his/her name has been submitted on an annual eligibility report.

11.4.19 A student who transfers his/her residence from that of his/her parent(s) or other individual with whom the student has lived continuously for a full calendar
year, to the home of another individual who resides in a different school community because of a court order committing one or both of those with whom he/she has been living to a correctional or state medical institution shall be eligible to represent the school in which he/she first enrolls or at which he/she engages in an athletic practice following the change in residence. The residence and transfer regulations do not apply to a student who returns to his/her home after honorable discharge from a state correctional institution or to a student who returns to his/her home after serving as a page in the Congress or the State Legislature.

11.4.20 A student who transfers his/her residence from that of his/her parent(s) or other individual with whom the student has lived continuously for a full calendar year to the home of another individual who resides in a different school community because of the death of one or both of his/her parents or other individual shall be eligible to represent the school in which he/she first enrolls or at which he/she engages in an athletic practice following the change in residence.

11.4.21 In the event that a student becomes a ward of the State of Florida and is placed in a foster home, the student will be eligible so far as residence is concerned so long as he/she is enrolled in that school. Any subsequent transfer of residence that requires a change of schools shall render the student ineligible.

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860.

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