While the recent talk of college athletics has centered around the upcoming House settlement and the changes coming with revenue sharing, former Alabama coach Nick Saban made a pretty strong point on Wednesday that we might not actually need a Presidential commission on NIL. 

Over the past few weeks, President Donald Trump has floated the idea of a commission to look into fixing the current state of college athletics, including the ability for athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Saban, who has voiced his concerns regarding NIL, has been one of the people whose names have been tied to leading the proposed commission. 

But it doesn’t sound like Saban is sold on the idea of a commission to help thwart some of the problems brought to light over the past few years. 

“First of all, I don’t know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I’m not sure we really need a commission,” Saban told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum on Wednesday. “I think that a lot of people know exactly what the issues are in college football and exactly what we need to do to fix them. The key to the drill is getting people together so we can move it forward.

“I’m not opposed to players making money, I don’t want anybody to think that. I just think the system that we (are using), the way it’s going right now, is not sustainable, and probably not in the best interest of the student-athletes across the board or the game itself. I think we need to protect the brand, and the competitive advantages and disadvantages that are being created right now, and I think we can fix all that. But I think we know how to do it, and not just me but a lot of people. We just have to get everybody together to do it.”

Nick Saban Provides Background On How This Conversation Started

These are some pretty strong comments from Saban, who added that bogging down folks with a potential commission might not be the best strategy. The former Alabama coach pointed to his meeting with Trump during the President’s commencement speech on May 1 in Tuscaloosa. 

“The way all this started [was] when President Trump spoke at the commencement at Alabama,” Saban said. “All my friends are saying, ‘College football is really messed up; let’s get together so we can figure out how to fix it.’ 

“So that’s how all this got started, I really don’t want to get into the implementation of what I would do. I think the first thing is everybody’s got a different state law, which creates advantages and disadvantages. And everybody is trying to create advantages. So we probably need an interstate commerce-type something that gets it all there. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the players to necessarily be employees.”

Nick Saban on the set of of ESPN College GameDay. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

It was first reported by Yahoo Sports that Trump was looking at potential ways to help improve college athletics, and putting together a commission could be the best way to find solutions. There was also talk of the President signing an executive order that could create an avenue for lawmakers to tackle the ongoing subject. 

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey appeared reluctant to comment on a possible commission. 

“There’s plenty of commentary about this possible commission,” Sankey said. “I’m not going to overreact or react to what’s reported about commissions. I think there are a lot of wise people who can provide input.”

It certainly sounds like there’s a lot of pushback to putting this in the hands of a group of people tasked with coming up with ideas on how to “save” college athletics. 

Maybe we could just gather a few of the smartest people in college athletics and figure out a way to get out of this massive hole. 

Nick Saban might be retired from coaching, but he’s not finished with college football—not even close.

Just days after it was revealed that former President Donald Trump plans to create a new commission to “fix” college sports, Saban was named as a co-chair. You’d think that might come with some fanfare or at least a detailed plan. But Saban? He’s just as confused as the rest of us.

Speaking ahead of the Regions Traditions Pro-Am event in Birmingham, Alabama, the legendary former Alabama coach—and current ESPN College GameDay analyst—was asked about his role on the new commission. His response was about as blunt and honest as it can get.

“To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about this commission,” Saban said. “I don’t really know what the commission will do. I think we know what needs to be done, I just think we need to figure out who’s got the will to do it. I learned one thing about coaching all these years: when you get into a subject like this that’s very complex, it’s probably good not to talk about it off the cuff. So I’ll find out more about it, and if there’s something I can do to help college football be better, I’ll always be committed to do that. I was committed to do that as a coach, to help players be more successful in life, and I’d continue to do that same thing now.”

It doesn’t get much more direct than that. Saban is willing to help, sure—but it’s clear he wasn’t exactly looped in on the fine print before the announcement was made. That hasn’t stopped people from already weighing in on what this commission might do—or criticizing its existence altogether.

What This Commission Is Supposed to Do

According to what’s been reported so far, the new presidential commission is expected to take a deep dive into the chaos currently swirling around college athletics. The NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) era has cracked open the door to booster overreach, shady deals, and Wild West-style bidding wars for players. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Among the big issues the commission is expected to address:

• The frequency of player movement via the transfer portal
• The involvement of boosters and so-called NIL collectives
• Whether college athletes should be considered employees
• How Title IX would apply to any future revenue-sharing
• And even the makeup of conferences and television contracts

That’s a laundry list of complicated, hot-button topics that don’t exactly come with easy answers.

What Nick Saban Might Want to See Change

To be fair, Nick Saban has spent the last few years voicing concerns about where college football is headed. He’s been one of the loudest voices advocating for national NIL regulation. On ESPN and in front of Congress, he’s repeatedly made the case that the system needs structure—less chaos, more accountability.

So, assuming Saban ends up taking a more active role on this commission, what changes might he push for? Based on his recent comments and past positions, here are a few likely areas of focus:

1. NIL Oversight and Revenue Sharing – Saban has said many times that he supports players earning money—but not under the current system that rewards bidding wars more than merit. He’s been a fan of national guidelines, transparency, and even hinted at salary caps to level the playing field.
2. Tighter Transfer Portal Rules – The transfer portal has turned into a revolving door, with athletes hopping schools at a rate that leaves rosters in a constant state of flux.
3. Agent and Representative Regulation – One of the lesser-discussed areas that Saban has criticized is the role of unqualified agents representing players in NIL deals.

Saban’s not wrong to say it’s a complex issue—and it’s probably smart of him not to go off script before he’s had time to review the details. But let’s be real: when Nick Saban talks, the college football world listens, and it will be interesting to see what is accomplished — if anything — through this commission.

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By MARK LONG

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference is entering a period of stability.

How long it lasts is anyone’s guess. Not even commissioner Jim Phillips knows for sure.

“I still live one day at a time,” Phillips quipped.

The ACC wrapped up its spring meetings Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, with athletic directors and coaches having spent three days discussing wide-ranging issues affecting football and basketball.

The event came amid the backdrop of the pending $2.8 billion NCAA settlement, which would allow schools to share up to $20.5 million annually directly with their athletes.

The ACC spent the past two years tracking that legal battle while also wading through contentious litigation from two of its top member schools, Clemson and Florida State.

The Tigers and Seminoles approved a settlement in March that changed the league’s revenue-distribution model to benefit schools with marquee football brands. Both would presumably fall into that category.

Although the 2030-31 season looms as a potential spot for more changes to the college football landscape, the revised deal should fortify a league that looked to be on the verge of collapse while falling further behind the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten.

“I just think you got to settle down,” Phillips said, noting he envisions four or five years of stability ahead. “And I think college athletics needs it to settle down, not just the ACC. I think we’ve positioned ourselves for that, and that’s a good thing. It just is.

“Chaos and the constant wondering of what’s happening here or there, I just think that distracts from the business at hand. But I feel good about where we’re at.”

The league’s revised revenue-distribution model incorporates TV viewership as a way for the league’s top programs to generate more money.

Florida State, for example, expects roughly $18 million extra annually from the tweaked structure. Those schools outside the top tier could see a decline of about $7 million a year.

“We’re really excited that this is now put behind us,” FSU athletic director Michael Alford said. “We have a path going forward. We have a path to really look at how we control the conference together, how we expand on the great brands that are in this conference and really promote the ACC and especially ACC football moving forward and give it its day in the sun.”

Presidential help ahead?

Even though ACC schools are bracing for the NCAA settlement and how it will change their business model, Phillips believes President Donald Trump’s proposed commission on collegiate athletics could help.

“We have not been able to get this thing into the end zone, so to speak,” Phillips said. “If the President feels that a commission could potentially help, I’m all for it.”

The proposed commission would be co-chaired by former Alabama coach Nick Saban and current Texas Tech board of regents chairman Cody Campbell.

“I think it’s well-intended,” Phillips said. “I do feel that the time is right based on all the work that’s previously been done and a supportive administration that’s in there. So I’m hopeful that that can be a positive to an end result that gets us a standardized law across the country with NIL.”

NCAA president Charlie Baker spoke at the ACC meetings Monday and said he was “up for anything” if it helped formalize NIL laws that differ from state to state.

“I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports,” Baker said. “I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere.”

Future of the CFP

While power four conferences — the ACC, the Big Ten, Big 12 and the SEC — continue to negotiate the future of the College Football Playoff beginning in 2026, Phillips declined to reveal specifics regarding the league’s stance on automatic qualifiers.

“I remain steadfast about fairness in the system and access,” he said. “Out of respect for my colleagues, I want to hold off on commenting about AQs and specific models.”

The 16-team playoff model that has been widely discussed would grant four automatic berths to the Big Ten, four to the SEC, two to the ACC and two to the Big 12. That would leave four bids, with as many as three of those going to at-large teams and the other to the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six.

The ACC, according to several coaches, wants three guaranteed spots.

“You start to wonder if we are going to have an invitational,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Every year, one league may be better than the other, and it can change to some degree.

“To say we’re going to pick teams based on what’s happened the last 15 years, especially in an environment where we have more and more parity with the way the rules are, I think it’s a slippery slope.”

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