What Tennessee high school football coaches would change in the rule book

If you could change one TSSAA football rule, what would it be?

High school football coaches attending the Tennessee Football Coaches Association's recruiting fair were asked that question this week. 

The biggest response? The transfer rule.

But that's not all coaches want changed.

Tony Brunetti, Pearl-Cohn

"I think sometimes kids may get in a bad situation and struggle at the first high school they go to.

"Give them a one-time transfer rule where they can do that (and not sit out). Other states do that. They will give you one transfer. I think if you do that you will get rid of a lot of headaches and red tape of kids trying to do that illegally."

Jason Dobbs, Moore County 

"The transfer rule. I think there is too much shopping of kids at the high school level these days. Parents aren't happy with where they are at and they move across town. And because they have a change of residence, they are eligible to play. 

"I think you aren't teaching kids the right thing. You are teaching them not to work for what you want, just go where the situation may be better or easier."

Justin Geisinger, Pope John Paul II

"With all of the teams using Hudl sideline (video), I'd like to see replay or ability to challenge (a play). Whether it's the home team that provides the referee an iPad for review, I think that could be a cool thing. Obviously, it's trickling its way down from the pros. Having some type of system to have a challenge or replay for our officials would set us apart."

Chuck Gentry, Lebanon

"I would move the dead period to the first two weeks when school is out instead of it breaking up the summer for football."

Kit Hartsfield, Blackman

"The number one rule that I would change is probably that the knees have to be covered. The way football pants are made, the officials struggle to define what is properly worn pants during a game. So then a player is sent out of the game when their knees aren't covered, but that is how the pants are custom made."

Derek Hunt, Maryville

"They added a rule where you can work with three kids a day in the offseason. I think it's more of a baseball or basketball rule. Basketball guys, you are only playing five at a time. 

"I think that hurts football if you work with three kids a day and you have over 100 kids in your program if you are a big school. I think it would be better if football could work with seven guys. If you are going to do that rule at all you have to change it because of the numbers."

Thomas McDaniel, Christian Brothers

"The transfer eligibility parameters with different locations, whether it be private school or public school or open zone or city systems. I think there are too many variables in eligibility right now.

"We have the (30-mile) circle around us (that is our zone). I just find it hard to believe that a kid living in Mississippi, and he's never played in a TSSAA sport that he can't transfer to Christian Brothers and be eligible. Yet kids move all over the city. I think some systems have to look at zoning. Are the kids really playing where they are supposed to be playing? And your open enrollment schools. Everyone wants to complain about the private school, but look at your open enrollment, that's where it's an advantage."

Jonathan Quinn, Davidson Academy

"Holding. In high school it's a spot foul because in the new spread offenses that are rampant in high school football now, if a tackle kicks back and a defensive end goes wide and he holds them eight yards back, it's now an 18-yard penalty.

"That makes it the most egregious penalty in high school football besides ejection. You can be penalized more than a personal foul. You get situations where it's first-and-28. It should be a 10-yard penalty from the line of scrimmage foul just like it is everywhere else."

Brian Rector, Father Ryan

"This is going to sound drastic. I would rather them make June completely dead and then back the season up one more week and we just go full bore in July. We'd have to acclimate to the heat so we don't hurt kids.

"I just think there is so much happening .... that June becomes more of a deterrent than actually playing football. That would mean spring would need to be more intense or less restrictions. But June dead would be a really interesting way to make the overall schedule appealing to coaches and players."

Rodney Saulsberry, Whitehaven

"The biggest thing would be able to appeal a judgment rule like targeting. That has been one that has hurt some teams. A kid gets ejected, but you can't overrule it even though it's visibly wrong. I've had two of those at crucial moments in the playoffs.

"They've told me it was a bad call, but we couldn't do anything about it."

Morgan Shinlever, Bearden

"I wish the rules were more uniform from the high school to the college level. We should be more similar there especially if we are training kids to eventually play at that level."

Brian Waite, East Nashville

"It would be the transfer rule. It just does not benefit the inner-city kids in any way. We need to look at that more in detail and make some exceptions to the rule. If the NCAA can do it, we can do it."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.