Texas high school basketball will add a 35-second shot clock after the University Interscholastic League (UIL) approved a package of rule changes Monday, Oct. 19. The UIL Legislative Council also greenlit a girls flag football pilot and expanded home-field advantage for playoff games.

The council voted at its fall meeting in Austin to mandate the shot clock for Class 6A and 5A varsity basketball starting in the 2028-29 school year, first reported by The Dallas Morning News. Flower Mound High and Marcus, both 6A programs, will be among the first schools required to install the clocks.

The shot clock will be optional for 6A and 5A schools in 2027-28 before becoming mandatory the following season. Smaller classifications follow a staggered timeline: Class 4A and 3A no earlier than 2030-31, and Class 2A and 1A no earlier than 2032-33. The UIL said each phase will be monitored and could be adjusted.

The vote was years in the making.

More than 60% of member schools surveyed in 2025 and 2026 supported adding a shot clock in the two largest classifications, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches found 62% of its surveyed coaches in favor. Texas joins 35 other states that have already adopted the rule.

North Crowley boys basketball coach Tommy Brakel, a longtime shot-clock advocate, called the vote a turning point. "We've been working on it for years and years," Brakel said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "With it being shot down so many times, I think being able to say here it is was a breath of relief for all of us."

The council also approved a pilot program for girls flag football starting no earlier than 2028-29. The program will include no more than two classifications, and smaller schools may be allowed to play up. UIL staff will develop rules and present an implementation plan at the June 2027 legislative council meeting, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The sport has grown rapidly in Texas with backing from the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. Danny McCray, the Cowboys' director of youth football development, told the UIL's Standing Committee on Athletics on Oct. 18 that 230 Texas high schools have joined since 2024, when 26 participated. A fall 2026 survey of Class 6A and 5A superintendents showed 52% supported UIL sanctioning of the sport.

When the season will be played remains the biggest open question. UIL executive director Jamey Harrison said staff has heard suggestions ranging from fall to early and late spring. UIL director of athletics Ray Zepeda noted a spring season could conflict with track and field postseason meets, while a fall season would strain a thin pool of game officials, according to the Dallas Morning News.

In a third major change, the council expanded first-round home-field advantage to all team sports and all football classifications. Previously, only Class 6A and 5A football teams could host a first-round playoff game based on district finish. Starting in the 2027-28 school year, the team with the higher district finish in basketball, volleyball, soccer, team tennis and all football classifications will have the option to host. Teams may also agree to a neutral site, according to the UIL's legislative council packet.

For Flower Mound and Marcus teams that finish atop their district standings, the change means a potential home crowd for opening-round playoff games in volleyball, basketball, soccer and team tennis in the 2027-28 school year.

All rule changes require approval from the Texas Commissioner of Education before taking effect. The flag football pilot and shot clock carry an Aug. 1, 2028, effective date. The home-field advantage expansion takes effect in 2027.