The best of the best in Florida will play against each other in the postseason to determine an overall high school state champion.

That’s one of the changes coming for 11 prep sports in 2026-27.

On Tuesday, during the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Board of Directors’ final meeting of 2025-26, the new Open Division was unanimously approved, 10-0, for the upcoming school year.

Football, girls volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse and flag football will all have an Open Division for the top eight teams.

There will still be classification championship games, but now the top eight teams in the MaxPreps rankings will play for one overall and undisputed champion.

For football, the top eight teams, regardless of classification, will be selected based on MaxPreps rankings at the conclusion of the regular season. For all other sports, the top eight teams will be selected based on FHSAA MaxPreps rankings and the conclusion of district tournaments.

The eight qualifying teams will be divided into two pools of four teams each:

• Pool A: Seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8
• Pool B: Seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7

At the conclusion of pool play, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the State Finals host site for a single-elimination tournament.

As an example, this past season the top eight in football were 6A state semifinalist Buchholz, 3A state runner-up Northwestern (Miami), 7A state runner-up Vero Beach, 2A champion Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota), 7A regional finalist DeLand, 1A state runner-up Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood), 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), and 3A champ Raines (Jacksonville).

The Open Division was just part of the discussion on Tuesday.

Athlete transfers/coach funds

Another hot topic was transfers, which had gotten out of control.

In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bills 538 (SB 538) and 178.

SB 538 allows districts to use funds raised from high school booster clubs for activities to pay the coaches of those activities, supplementing their district stipends.

It also authorizes students who wish to participate in a sport that their current school does not currently offer to participate in that sport in another school in their district.

The FHSAA Board of Directors officially adopted bylaws to enforce SB 538 and require non-traditional student-athletes to participate in athletics at a high school within their county of residence. The new regulations eliminate loopholes that previously allowed athletes to play different sports at different schools during the same academic year.

The following FHSAA bylaws and policies were amended to align with updated statutory language:

• Bylaw 9.2 Modifies language relative to non-traditional student participation options.
• Bylaw 9.3 Modifies language relative to transfer student eligibility.
• Bylaw 16.6 Removes language relative to participation options for individual non-traditional types and removes language relative to transfer students.
• Bylaw 16.7 Modifies language relative to the registration requirements for non-traditional students, amending applicable forms.

Students who transferred under the old rules before spring football practice can remain at their current schools.

Meanwhile, SB 178, also known as the “Teddy Bridgewater Act,” allows public K-12 head coaches in Florida to use up to $15,000 of their personal funds annually to support student-athlete welfare. Coaches will be required to report the use of personal funds to the FHSAA.

Basketball shot clock

And the 35-second shot clock will be used during the FHSAA state semifinals and championship games at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

Plus, schools with a shot clock can implement it during regional play if agreed upon.

The FHSAA “will suspend implementation” due to costs such as equipment and shot clock operators.

For other recaps from Tuesday’s meeting, including the creation of the new Open Division, visit the FHSAA website at www.fhsaa.com.