Middle Tennessee high school football teams leave TSSAA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two Middle Tennessee high school football teams announced plans to leave the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) and go independent.

Father Ryan High School and Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) will leave the conference for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons.

The decision follows new transfer rules for high school athletes that went into effect this season.

CPA leadership said their decision reflects three objectives: keeping academics the top priority, preventing the exploitation of students for athletic purposes and fostering fair competition for a level playing field. Click here for the complete statement.

Father Ryan released a similar statement. The school states it has become increasingly concerned that a growing number of football programs are not aligned with their prioritization of the student athlete. Father Ryan believes "students should have the opportunity to compete, lead, grow and experience being part of a team, while remaining firmly grounded in the larger purpose of their education."

The TSSAA board has called an emergency meeting for Thursday afternoon when the "Board of Control must set the classification guidelines for Division II Football for situations where schools declare they will play an independent schedule."

The new TSSAA transfer rule went into effect July 1 and allows middle and high school student-athletes to transfer schools one time during their careers without losing immediate athletic eligibility, provided the move takes place between school years and the student meets other eligibility requirements. The change replaced the association's longstanding policy that generally required athletes transferring without a bona fide change of residence to sit out for a year.