President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order last week is a much-needed step toward ending the chaos that has consumed college sports following the expansion of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and the advent of unlimited athlete transfers between schools.
For years, college athletics has been drifting toward a breaking point. What was once a uniquely American institution rooted in school pride, competitive balance, and amateur competition has devolved into something far closer to unlimited, unregulated free agency. Trump’s executive order is the first serious attempt to restore order, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
At its core, the order recognizes that college sports cannot survive without a centralized governing structure – something that the NCAA has failed to provide and that Congress has failed to construct. As Trump stated in the order, “the convergence of enormous pressure to win in football and basketball and the loosening, both by litigation and by State legislation, of consistent rules or limits concerning eligibility, transfers, and pay-for-play schemes has created an out-of-control financial arms race.”
That “arms race” is not theoretical – it is already reshaping the landscape in ways that threaten the survival of college athletics as we know it.
Consider the current reality. Following the 2025–2026 season, Iowa State football lost 42 players – nearly half its roster – after head coach Matt Campbell departed for Penn State. Quarterback TJ Finley is now on his seventh school, a statistic that would have been unthinkable even a decade ago. In college basketball, more than 1,500 Division I players are currently in the transfer portal. When accounting for graduates and NBA departures, that means over half of all players are effectively in free agency.
This is not stability. It’s not even organized competition. It’s chaos.
Trump’s order directly targets the root causes of this dysfunction. It calls for clear eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window, and structured transfer rules to restore continuity for both athletes and programs. It also seeks to eliminate the shadow economy of NIL “collectives” by banning improper pay-for-play arrangements and cracking down on “unscrupulous agent conduct.”
Perhaps most importantly, the order brings the federal government into the enforcement picture. It directs agencies to evaluate whether violations of college sports rules should affect a university’s eligibility for federal grants and contracts, while also empowering the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to take enforcement action.
The need for that kind of decisive action is clear. As Trump noted, one major athletic program closed fiscal year 2025 with $535 million in athletics-related debt, while another sits at $437 million in debt. These are not sustainable figures, and they underscore a broader trend of universities being forced to divert resources away from education and into an escalating bidding war for talent.
That reality cuts to the heart of why this issue matters beyond sports. College athletics is not just entertainment—it supports more than 500,000 student-athletes and provides nearly $4 billion in scholarships annually. It fuels local economies, drives school identity, and produces a significant share of America’s Olympic talent. In fact, the collegiate system produced 75 percent of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
But without reform, that system is at risk of collapsing under its own weight.
Non-revenue sports – particularly women’s and Olympic programs – are especially vulnerable. As NIL money and revenue-sharing deals concentrate resources in football and basketball, smaller programs are left fighting for scraps. Trump’s order explicitly addresses this imbalance, calling for revenue-sharing models that “protect and expand opportunities in women’s and Olympic sports.”
That’s a critical point often overlooked in the broader NIL debate. What’s being sold as “fairness” for athletes is, in practice, creating a system that benefits a small subset of high-profile players while undermining opportunities for thousands of others.
The NCAA, for its part, has proven incapable of managing this transition. Years of legal defeats and internal indecision have left it effectively powerless, unable to enforce even its own rules. The result is a vacuum that has been filled by boosters, agents, and loosely regulated collectives operating with little oversight.
Trump’s executive order is an acknowledgment that the status quo is untenable. It also reflects an understanding of the cultural role college sports plays in American life.
Unlike professional leagues, college athletics has always been about more than money. It’s about school loyalty, regional rivalries, and the idea – however imperfect – that the game comes first. Fans don’t tune in to watch contract negotiations play out in real time. They want to watch competition for the love of competition.
That distinction is exactly what has been eroded in the NIL era.
The order does not eliminate NIL outright, nor should it. Athletes should be able to benefit from their name, image, and likeness. But there is a difference between endorsement opportunities and a completely unregulated pay-for-play market. Professional sports leagues operate with salary caps, collective bargaining agreements, and clearly defined rules. College sports, until now, has had none of those guardrails.
Trump’s order also puts pressure on Congress to act. While the executive branch can set standards and enforce certain provisions, a long-term solution will likely require legislation. The order explicitly calls on lawmakers to move quickly, warning that “further delay is not an option given what is at stake and the turmoil and instability currently facing universities across the nation.”
The early response from the sports world suggests broad recognition of that reality. Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban called the move “critical,” saying, “President Trump’s executive order today is a critical step towards restoring stability in college sports.” NCAA President Charlie Baker similarly described it as “a significant step forward.”
They’re right. For the first time in years, there is a serious effort to restore structure to a system that has been drifting toward disorder.
College sports needs a reset. Trump’s executive order is exactly that – a decisive intervention aimed at preserving one of America’s most cherished institutions before it’s too late.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
It’s a shame that our President had to step in and fix a problem in College Sports! But since the schools didn’t do it, someone had to! Thank you President Trump!
President Trump is not only a great President but a great man who loves his country and the American people! God bless President Trump and his Family!
As usual, Trump resolves another major problem. He is a businessman, not a politician, fairness wins out in his decisions.
God Bless you President Trump
School loyalty has always been a factor in college sports. There is none of that under the current malaise. As usual, President Trump gets the picture and acts on it.
Spot on article on sports! Hopefully President Trumps efforts in this will be embraced by all because it is absolutely necessary for today’s athletes and universities.
As a college coach in division 3 I totally agree with this new policy
Prez Trump may hsve just saved all college sports; but do not expect him getting any credit – especially with so many pure Trump haters that are automatically against anything Trump proposes or supports.
College players should never be paid…I have not watch ball sports since 2013.
Retired from government (Tax Admin) I have see so much fraud. Collage sports and pro sports are corrupt… LONG story. Stop buying tickets ! Don’t pay to watch, don’t buy sporting merchandise, boycott advertisers. “see below”
A.I. search/answer…
Top college athletes are earning significant money through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, with elite football and basketball stars making over $1 million to nearly $7 million annually. While elite QB and basketball talents can earn $400,000–$800,000+ per year, many athletes receive much less or nothing. Total athlete NIL compensation is rapidly growing, with elite quarterbacks potentially earning $30,000-$50,000 monthly.
For years the NCAA has been run by spineless, smooth-talking, PC IDIOTS. Tap dancing around important decisions, while making stupid ones. And failing to take swift and firm actions when blatant cheating was taking place. IE MI coach, cheating scandalous loser Harbaugh, who was paid off handsomely by MI when he left MI, with no significant penalty at all. And then goes to the NFL and coaches the losing LA Chargers.
Then MI hires another scandalous loser Moore. And the NCAA spineless losers do nothing.
It finally takes Trump to take control of what has been out of control for decades – the NCAA and college sports. Another smart move by 47.
Now all that has to be done is to spare academic aspect which should come first from chaos
I personally like the impact of this but am strongly opposed to the government sticking their nose into it. Let the free market decide and if they fail, they fail. How is the government getting into this any different than the CA government telling toy stores they have to devote a whole isle to “gender neutral” toys? It isn’t. In this specific case, this looks like it will be a good thing but it sets a bad precedent. Most government intrusion is extremely detrimental.
I say let it collapse under its own weight and stop giving colleges and universities taxpayer money. Not one thin dime.
This proves what an exceptional president Donald Trump is. With all he has going on he’s fixing college football.
If Trump is for it, the Democrats are against it karma and they will find a liberal federal district court judge to overturn it. The Democrats have absolutely zero brains they operate on blind hatred of one man. They will destroy this country for their hatred of Donald Trump. Will the party just vanish when Donald Trump dies?
Hooray for Trump to touch another problem that has gotten out of hand. It is total chaos. And money from the pro sports owners are the biggest problem. Salaries of millions and millions of dollars is ridiculous. No 20 year old no matter how good he is is worth that much. They don’t hire these kids because of that but because of the ticket sales. And those are out and out ridiculous.
Who is running this, the rich sport moguls. I haven’t watched pro sports in a very long time because of these ridiculous salaries and their anti American stance by the players. They make millions of dollars which isn’t possible anywhere else in the world and hate this country at the same time. Many pro basketball players at the end of their career play in Europe for peanuts you know the not so well known players. There should be a salary cap like in any other job. Equal pay for equal play.
only the stars make the big bucks. Following university athletes is impossible because when they are the star they either switch universities or go in the pros. And everyone suffers. I say again another mess President Trump is trying to clean up and the dems will take him to court because they agree with all this chaos.
With sport gambling legal money controls. Fans keep buying tickets and watching game broadcasts. If fans and college students cared this would have never happened. Terrible education but lots of money for some.
Duh!!!! It is tied to the astronomical ballooning of tuition and fees. vulgar.
Restoration of college sports to what college sports were to the student athlete, the student fan base and the college alumni should be mandated, immediately. What has been allowed to transpire is “outrageous” in the same way “The Olympic Games” no longer have accomplished, amatuer athletes as the participants. The NCAA and the Olympic Games/Sports Committees have failed to resist outside influencers whose only motivation is and was “personal-financial gain!” The current chaos that is college sports is “on them” and their failure to maintain the “purity” of an amatuer athlete’s dedication to their sport. The “transfer portal” is a disgrace! A college student athlete no longer has any obligation or allegiance to the college he is attending and playing for. Paying a college student athlete for his image is ludicrous, at best, and outrageous, at its’ worst! The motivation for doing so is veiled in the lie that it benefits the athlete! “Espirt-De-Corps” from the s-athlete for the college is non-existent! STOP the “evil erosion” that is labeled as progress and instead see the “chaos” for what it is! The complete destruction of traditional college sports and the loyalty of the s-athlete to their college, the alumni and the student fan base.
In other words, DJT may just have saved the greedy-a$$ed scumbags ruining (running?) college sports from the greedy-a$$ed scumbags ruining (running?) college sports.
Thank you, sir.
Now if we could just trust congress to enact this into law. EO’s are encouraging, but the opposition can cause legal delays, while actual harm is done. Our next election may hinge on what we voters think is worth our trip to the polls.
Thank you Mr. President for your insight and your stand in this matter.
Yes, there is a need to reform a system that probably should have never been put in place. There could have been provision for the athletes to get some money for clothing and pocket change without going to this extent.
As for Trump’s intervention with an executive order: He is out-of-line The federal government needs to stay out of college sports and Trump especially needs to stay out of it.