Greg Sankey, Power Four commissioners react to President Donald Trump executive order to fix college sports
The Power Four commissioners have started to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on college sports . The SEC’s Greg Sankey , the ACC’s Jim Phillips and the Big 12’s Brett Yormark all released statements Friday evening. Tony Petitti of the Big Ten had not commented at the time of publication.
The order, released Friday afternoon and is to take effect Aug. 1, takes aim at transfer movement and eligibility. Trump ordered the NCAA to create rules mandating a five-year window of eligibility for athletes while also limiting them to one transfer while they get their four-year degree.
If they complete their undergraduate degree, athletes would be able to transfer again. SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter During the roundtable, Trump announced he was preparing another executive order on college sports after previously signing one in July 2025. However, the order is likely to face legal scrutiny, which Trump said he expected at the time.
In his statement, Sankey praised Trump’s efforts to protect college athletics and, similar to the order, called on Congress to pass legislation. Sankey further voiced his support for the SCORE Act . “The establishment and enforcement of consistent national standards for college athletics remains a top priority, and President Trump’s Executive Order provides important clarity to help ensure all programs operate under comparable policies,” Sankey said .
“We are grateful for the President’s leadership and the continued, bipartisan engagement of members of the House and Senate on these key issues. “We support House of Representatives approval of the SCORE Act and meaningful Senate consideration of similar legislation to preserve academic opportunity for student-athletes and the long-term future of college sports. ” Phillips also voiced his support for Trump’s executive order.