The Alabama High School Athletic Association rolled out sweeping changes last Wednesday, highlighted by a shift in CHOOSE Act eligibility rules and the long-awaited addition of a basketball shot clock, as part of a wide-ranging set of decisions from its Central Board of Control and Legislative Council.

After a recent update to the law signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, the AHSAA announced it will no longer count CHOOSE Act funds as financial aid when determining student-athlete eligibility. The change follows passage of the "Let the Kids Play Act," which ensures student-athletes cannot be ruled ineligible for receiving said funds, though other eligibility rules still apply under AHSAA guidelines.

"The Let the Kids Play Act stands up for students and families who followed the law and played by the rules," Ivey said in a release on the matter. "The CHOOSE Act was designed to expand educational opportunities for all Alabama students, not to be twisted to take it away. That is why I was proud to sign this bill into law. Every child deserves a fair shot both in the classroom and on the field."

In addition to the eligibility update, the AHSAA Central Board of Control approved a 35-second shot clock for basketball starting with the 2026-27 season, bringing both boys and girls programs in line together with a change that has been discussed for years across several states.

"This is something we have been studying for a good while, and our basketball coaches' leadership has been at the forefront of this decision," AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon said. "We think this is the right time. We felt it needed to be added at the beginning of a classification period and not in the middle."

The board also voted to extend the postseason "mercy rule" to include state basketball finals, allowing for a running clock when a team leads by 30 points in the fourth quarter — a step in the direction toward getting a similar rule on the prep gridiron.

Other changes were approved across multiple sports. In cross country, starting box assignments for the state meet will now be randomly selected. Swimming adjustments include updated qualifying times on a two-year cycle, the use of backstroke ledges, revised warm-up and start times and allowing aggregate relay times from certified meets for qualification.

Wrestling will return to predetermined state tournament brackets, expand select classifications to 16-man brackets and adjust how points are awarded in certain bracket scenarios.

The board also discussed potential changes to basketball postseason structure, including a shift from area to district play in higher classifications, but no action was taken.

Separately, the AHSAA Legislative Council ratified three of 21 proposed bylaw changes submitted by member schools. The approved measures require district representatives on standing sports committees to be full-time school employees and also mandates that transfer student-athletes be clearly identified on official rosters.