This is an opinion piece.

Don’t expect the AHSAA’s new Transfer Task Force to be all talk and no action.

That is the clear message I received in a conversation with executive director Heath Harmon today after the first meeting of the Task Force earlier this week.

“Things take time, but I want everyone to know that this task force is not going away,” Harmon said. “We are not meeting just to meet. This is going to be results oriented. We are going to judge ourselves by results and not by intentions.”

The AHSAA announced in April that it would launch a task force to investigate non-compliant transfer student-athletes after a unanimous vote by the Central Board. The decision followed a presentation by Alma Bryant head football coach Bart Sessions and Mountain Brook’s Chris Yeager that included data showing clusters of transfers at a handful of unspecified Class 6A football schools.

“Transfers, namely non-compliant transfers, have been the No. 1 issue that I’ve heard wherever I’ve gone in my first year on the job,” Harmon said. “There are other issues that may be located in certain parts of the state but statewide the biggest issue is non-compliant transfers. Whenever you have an issue and have an opportunity to do something about it, that’s exciting to me.”

A non-compliant transfer would include a student whose family does not make a bonafide move into another school district or whose transfer goes against AHSAA rules in another way.

Harmon said the task force included “around 30 members” from across the state, representing each of the eight districts and all seven AHSAA classifications. The group was comprised of superintendents, athletic directors, principals and coaches of different sports.

Part of the initial meeting included breaking into smaller groups to discuss the AHSAA’s existing rules, the Dragonfly system which tracks school’s rosters and schedules and suggestions for key actions and measurable outcomes for the task force. Harmon said AHSAA officials are now taking that feedback and compiling it into one summary. He also said the proposed Dragonfly initiative which will show how many transfer student-athletes each school and program has will go into effect this fall.

“I was very encouraged with the engagement and feedback,” he said. “It (the task force) is not going anywhere. We are going to meet more than just three times. We will have a pretty big, mid-year meeting – kind of a benchmark – to see where we are at, and we will have an end of the year meeting as well and more as needed.”

Harmon said plans would be rolled out to the schools at the summer conference in late July.

“In the athletic association, any decision-making authority is always going to lie within our legislative process – the Central Board, the legislative council, the legislative process,” he said. “But I did ask the task force to come up with some things we will do right now in order to see some results.

“I feel like this is an issue we can address. I think we will be successful in Year 1, and, at the end of Year 1, we will even have a better idea of what we can do to continue to address it.”

Making a Difference Recipients

The AHSAA will honor six individuals and one couple as part of its “Making a Difference” program at the annual conference in July in Montgomery.

This year’s recipients are Brantley’s Johnny ‘Cal’ Young, Westminster-Oak Mountain’s Dale Carrell, Lauderdale County’s Haleigh Woodard Williams, Plainview’s William and Judy Ayers, Ramsay’s Cedric Blair, Jasper’s Ann Jackson and Prattville’s Erica DuBois.

The “Making a Difference Award” was established in 2011 by then AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese in conjunction with the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association (AHSADCA) to recognize individuals who go beyond their normal duties as a coach, teacher, or administrator to make a positive impact in their schools and communities.

“The recipients in this 2025 Making a Difference class are excellent examples of men and women who have dedicated themselves to serving students with positive reinforcement, kindness and compassion,” Harmon said. “They take their positions as role models for their students, faculty and community very seriously and have shown exceptional leadership and determination in the challenges each has faced. These individuals have had spent their entire teaching, coaching and administrative careers making a major positive impact in their communities and schools across the state and are excellent examples of what this award stands for. “

Heads up, coaches

Late next week, we expect to start sending out short surveys to statewide, hoping to pinpoint the best student-athletes for the fall of 2025.

Our surveys will start with football first, but we also plan to survey coaches on the other fall sports as well (volleyball, flag football, cross country and swimming and diving).

The surveys will ask about your specific players as well as other players you have coached against who you think deserve to be recognized. The responses will be used for a series of posts later in the summer recognizing the best of the best in each sport and at different positions as we head into a new school year.

We hope you will take a few minutes to respond to this short survey when you receive it. Our football coaches should look for it late next week.

Thought for the Week

“I met God on the way up, but I got to know Him on the way down.” – Dave Ramsey.

Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected].