President Trump signs college sports executive order: What it means
President Trump signed an executive order to reform college athletics, mainly addressing transfers, eligibility and pay-for-play, on Friday.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “preserve the unique American institution of college athletics by restoring order, fairness and stability” on April 3. It centers around transfers, eligibility and pay-for-play. The most notable details, per CBS Sports: The order states college athletes can play a maximum of five seasons during a five-year window, and it restricts them to only one transfer before they graduate without having to sit out a season.
Schools that don’t follow these rules could risk losing federal funding. It also aims to: Ensure medical care for student-athletes; Implement revenue-sharing that expands women’s and Olympic sports; Outlaw improper financial arrangements set up by NIL collectives and similar entities; Protect against unscrupulous agent conduct. Trump’s order directs the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney general to take appropriate enforcement actions.
It also calls on Congress to swiftly pass legislation about these issues. Executive orders can be challenged in court. What executive order means for UCF Knights, other colleges Trump has talked often of the state of college athletics.
Critiques of the current systems have flown from coaches, administrators and pundits in recent years. That includes UCF head football coach Scott Frost , who returned to the sport in December 2024 after a two-year hiatus. Frost and his staff brought in more than 60 new players ahead of his first season back in charge of the Knights.