The Millikan football team has forfeited two season-opening wins, The562 has confirmed with the Rams’ administration. According to a message sent to parents Friday morning, “Millikan has confirmed that the first two varsity football games of the 2025-26 season have been forfeited due to the participation of an ineligible player, as required under CIF-SS rules.
“The school and football program accept this outcome in accordance with established policies and remain committed to compliance with all regulations. While disappointing, it does not diminish the effort, dedication, and teamwork our student-athletes have shown. We are proud of their continued growth and commitment, and we look forward to the rest of the season as scheduled.”
The Rams have several transfers this year who are listed on the CIF-SS transfer page as immediately eligible due to valid change of residence. Players who transfer can also gain eligibility by submitting to the CIF-SS’ Sit Out Period, which requires them to miss several games to start the year. A valid change of residence is a way to gain immediate eligibility, but it’s a method that has come under increased scrutiny this year by the CIF-SS.
Several transfers at Bishop Montgomery were deemed ineligible earlier this year after being found to have falsified address change paperwork, leading to an investigation that has shut down their entire varsity football season.
The effects at Millikan are not that drastic–the Rams’ official record goes from 2-1 to 0-3 and they will carry on with their season tonight at Downey. However, the Rams are now the latest school to be caught up in increased enforcement of the CIF-SS’ existing rules, which have been in place for several years but have not previously been enforced with as much rigor. That change has shown up in the transfer numbers, where the school year to this point shows a nearly 23% drop in valid change of residence applications with the CIF-SS.
Of the 15 transfers listed under Millikan this year on the CIF-SS’ transfer portal page, seven are listed as cleared due to valid change of residence, four are sit-out period, and four are listed as inactive, incomplete, or under review.
This isn’t the Rams’ first time having to forfeit games in recent years. In 2022 they forfeit four wins over the use of an ineligible player, which also led to the suspension of head coach Romeo Pellum, who was reinstated later in the season. Millikan’s two wins that are being forfeit this year are a 27-14 victory over Foothill in Las Vegas and a 49-20 win over Newbury Park at home two weeks ago.
At Long Beach Poly last year, the Jackrabbits didn’t forfeit games because the player didn’t play, but a mid-season transfer was ruled to have falsified address change paperwork by the CIF-SS and was deemed ineligible.
UPDATE: The CIF Southern Section says they visited Millikan’s campus on Thursday. “The CIF Southern Section met with the Millikan administration yesterday to discuss concerns with transfers,” CIF-SS assistant commissioner Thom Simmons said. Asked if that was unusual, he said, “It’s unusual for us to meet with a school if there’s one, two, three, four, five transfers. When you have multiple transfers in the amount that have been processed then it’s no longer unusual, it becomes mandatory.”
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.
