President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at saving college sports amid the turmoil of the transfer portal and the emerging NIL era.
President Donald Trump's executive order regulating college sports:
— Underdog (@Underdog) April 3, 2026
- College athletes can only play a maximum of 5 seasons in a 5-year window
- Maximum of one transfer before graduation, otherwise, need to sit a full season
- Schools that violate risk losing federal funding pic.twitter.com/56jfWqGntw
🚨 President Trump just signed a MASSIVE Executive Order to CLEAN UP college sports!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 4, 2026
• ONE transfer only (no more portal chaos)
• Max 5 seasons in a 5-year window
• Schools that don’t comply lose federal funding pic.twitter.com/Tftj4txl2v
President Trump’s executive order on college sports is below. Three key provisions: 1. Five years of total eligibility 2. Only “one” free transfer without sitting. 3. No players can return from pros. Goes into effect on 8/1. Common sense & solid: https://t.co/wWmosuirVz
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 3, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump signs executive order designed to SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS from a financial arms race
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 3, 2026
- Athletes can only transfer schools one time before they graduate without having to sit out a season
- Athletes can only play up to 5 seasons in a 5 year window
- Aug. 1… pic.twitter.com/nKAYxwcrZ8
The new order will impose greater restrictions on the chaos of college sports in recent years. Student-athletes will only be allowed a single “free” transfer before being required to sit out for a season and players will only be allowed to participate for “no more than a five-year period.” Schools who violate the regulations could be subject to a loss of federal funds.
Further changes will require the establishment of a framework to create “reasonable protections” against "excessive agent commissions,” restrictions against professional athletes from returning to collegiate sports, and a prohibition on the use of federal funds for NIL payments.
All four major conferences released statements thanking Trump for taking action to solve the looming crisis.
Here’s every power conference commissioner statement on Trump’s executive order today.
— Amanda Christovich (@achristovichh) April 4, 2026
To save you some reading time, they all thank Trump for his order but ask Congress to step in (mostly via SCORE Act).
More: https://t.co/T4q6vppseo pic.twitter.com/lxRzqSwONT
The order will go into effect on Aug. 1, 2026.
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