Trump Just Signed an Executive Order That Could Flip College Sports Upside Down
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that's about to reshape how college athletes can play and move around. Here's what just went down: athletes can now play a maximum of five seasons within a five-year window, and they get one transfer before graduation without sitting out a season. Schools that don't follow these new rules could lose federal funding. Yeah, you read that right.
The Legal Fight Is Already Coming
Here's the thing though: multiple lawyers who work with colleges and athletes told ESPN they believe judges would rule this order unconstitutional and unenforceable if it gets challenged in court. Trump already knows this is coming. He literally acknowledged his administration would probably get sued when he first floated this idea during a roundtable with college sports leaders back in early March. The uncertainty alone could mess with the transfer portal when it opens next week, which could actually keep some athletes from moving.
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This isn't random. Trump has been openly interested in helping the college sports industry find some balance over the past year. A couple months ago in early March, he hosted a bunch of college sports leaders at the White House, and he told them straight up that he'd write an executive order within a week that would "solve every problem in this room." The NCAA has been struggling since a 2021 Supreme Court decision made it clear the organization wasn't exempt from antitrust laws. That opened the floodgates: the NCAA changed its rules to allow athletes to transfer every year, and they've had mixed results fighting dozens of lawsuits from players who wanted to keep playing.
Trump's using the threat of pulling federal funding as leverage, though it's had mixed success so far. Back in September, a federal judge blocked his administration from withholding funds from Harvard over an executive order about alleged antisemitic behavior on campus. So yeah, don't be shocked when this one ends up in court too.
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