FHSAA votes to eliminate just one classification for football for 2026-28

After multiple hours of deliberation by Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) board members on Monday morning and into the early afternoon in Gainesville, Florida, what one could summarize from the conversation surrounding high school football reclassification was not much is going to change.

That’s right, after an initial proposal by FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon was presented last week in an informational meeting with the BOD, the association’s board members voted 10-3 to just eliminate one classification, Class 7A, and go down to classes 1A-6A with a Rural class still intact. The hope stated by the association in the meeting that was aired via YouTube to the public, was to finalize districts before Christmas.

Several outside speakers came up to the podium to speak on behalf of coaches throughout the state of Florida, including South Sumter head coach Ty Lawrence, Madison County‘s Price Harris and FloridaHSFootball.com’s Joshua Wilson.

Both Lawrence and Harris spoke in front of the FHSAA board, stating their displeasure of potentially not having mandatory district games, which per Damon’s proposal, would have eliminated them and required teams to schedule out their entire regular season.

“I believe the FHSAA and board of directors took a step in the right direction today,” Lawrence said to Rivals on Monday afternoon.

Damon’s initial proposal would have reduced the number of classifications from eight to six, with football going from 1A-7A, Rural to 1A-5A, Rural. Teams would’ve be placed in districts, but would not be required to play teams within their district and allowing them to ability to schedule games with whomever they’d like for their regular season slate.

Also previously proposed along with football programs being able to schedule eight games from Week 1 to Week 9 would have been a district tournament at the end of the season for Weeks 10-11. The top four teams, according to the FHSAA rankings, would’ve competed in the district tourney. There would have been a district semifinal in Week 10 followed by a district title and the losing teams from the previous week would play each other for a 10th game.

The FHSAA board did table a couple key points to be discussed at a later time which included a second option regarding teams not wanting to play required district games, but still including them within districts and an expanded independent track for clubs not wanting to play district competition.

What is set to begin next season is the state’s Open Division series, which will pit the top eight teams in Florida based on the final FHSAA rankings and place them in their own separate bracket to compete for a state title. States that already have concepts like this are Arizona and California, respectively.

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For Florida high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Sunshine State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Florida.