When President Donald Trump signed his latest executive order targeting college athletics on Friday, the response from the sport’s most powerful governing voices was immediate — and unanimous.
The commissioners of the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 — the four conferences that collectively define the landscape of major college sports — each released public statements expressing support for the order and renewing their collective call for Congress to act. The tone across all four was strikingly consistent: gratitude for federal involvement, and urgency about what still needs to happen next.
Trump’s order takes direct aim at some of the most contentious pressure points in college athletics today.
It directs federal agencies to evaluate whether universities that violate new, tighter rules on player transfers and eligibility should be considered ineligible for federal grants and contracts — giving the order genuine financial teeth. Under the framework, players would be limited to one transfer and a maximum five-year participation window.
The order also moves to curtail pay-for-play booster collectives — the third-party organizations that have emerged as a primary vehicle for funneling money to recruits and players outside traditional structures. It explicitly bans improper financial arrangements facilitated by those collectives, while simultaneously directing schools to preserve funding for women’s sports and Olympic programs.
Notably, the order does not restrict NIL payments — the right of athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness — from third-party sources. That distinction will matter as Congress debates what further legislation should look like.
The Commissioners Respond
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti framed the executive order as a necessary step, while making clear that federal legislation remains the ultimate goal.
“The Big Ten Conference would like to thank President Trump for his leadership and continuing efforts to protect college athletics,” Petitti wrote, adding that the bipartisan SCORE Act “thoughtfully addresses name, image, and likeness for student-athletes” and expands resources to support athletes both on and off the field.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey zeroed in on the need for national consistency — a theme that has driven the conferences’ lobbying efforts for years.
“The establishment and enforcement of consistent national standards for college athletics remains a top priority,” Sankey wrote. “President Trump’s executive order provides important clarity to help ensure all programs operate under comparable policies.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark was equally direct about the limits of executive action alone.
“Federal action is essential to protect the future of college athletics,” Yormark said. “To build on this momentum and provide long-term clarity and stability, Congress must now act.”
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips tied the order to broader momentum building around the issue, pointing to a White House college sports roundtable held approximately one month earlier as evidence of growing political will.
“There continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes,” Phillips wrote, expressing optimism that the SCORE Act “will pass the House of Representatives in the near future.”
The SCORE Act — and Why It Hasn’t Passed Yet
Every commissioner who responded Friday named the SCORE Act as the legislative vehicle they believe should follow the executive order. Understanding why it hasn’t already passed helps explain the urgency of their calls.
The act was scheduled for a House vote in December — a vote that was abruptly canceled before it could take place. Three Republicans — Byron Donalds of Florida, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and Chip Roy of Texas — joined Democrats in voting against bringing the bill to the floor. Democrats have broadly opposed the legislation, urging members to vote against it.
The act’s core provisions would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption, shielding the organization from certain lawsuits over eligibility rules. It would also prohibit athletes from being classified as school employees and bar institutions from using student fees to fund NIL payments.
The White House has endorsed the SCORE Act, and the executive order appears designed in part to build political momentum toward finally getting it through Congress.
The $2.8 illion Settlement Reshaping the Landscape
Trump’s order arrives against a backdrop that is already shifting dramatically.
Approximately one month before Friday’s action, a federal judge approved a landmark settlement between the NCAA, its most powerful conferences, and attorneys representing Division I athletes. The deal requires the NCAA to pay nearly $2.8 billion in damages over the next decade to athletes who competed between 2016 and 2025.
The settlement also opens a significant new door: college programs are now permitted to pay athletes directly — a structural change that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, and one that makes the regulatory questions addressed in Trump’s executive order more urgent than ever.
The alignment between the Trump administration and college sports’ most powerful conferences reflects a shared recognition that the current state of college athletics — with its patchwork of state NIL laws, unregulated booster collectives, and ongoing legal battles — is unsustainable. The executive order establishes a federal framework and signals consequences for non-compliance. But as all four commissioners made clear on Friday, an executive order alone cannot provide the lasting stability college sports needs. That will require Congress to act — and on the SCORE Act, the clock is running.
