Morrisey approves new rule for WV high school students transferring for sports
Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed into law a new rule for West Virginia high school students transferring for sports on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Photo by Getty Images) Rules for certain high school students transferring for athletics are changing in West Virginia following the recent legislative session.
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission has adopted a new rule that student-athletes transferring during their freshman or sophomore years will retain eligibility, while transfer restrictions remain in place for upperclassmen. It’s a change to the controversial high school sports transfer rule , put in place by lawmakers in 2023, that allowed all high school students to transfer schools at any point in the year and play immediately. The bill , which became law without Gov.
Jim Justice’s signature, has been blamed for depleted sports teams and lopsided football scores . Lawmakers this year reversed course, passing House Bill 4425 to repeal the transfer rule and allow the WVSSAC to make their own rule on the matter. Debate on the measure went on for hours in the House of Delegates before they passed it with a vote of 78-19 .
It passed the Senate with closer margins than usual — a vote of 20-14 — in the almost all-Republican chamber. On Tuesday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced he signed the bill and applauded the WVSSAC “for adopting a more flexible and balanced student-athlete transfer rule” following the passage of House Bill 4425.
Del. Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer “The SSAC is adopting a more flexible, common-sense approach,” Morrisey said in a news release. “This new rule makes improvements to the previous policy — giving families greater flexibility while protecting competitive integrity and strengthening the communities that rally around their homegrown athletes.