By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order mandating that federal authorities clarify whether college athletes can be considered employees of the schools they play for in an attempt to create clearer national standards in the NCAA’s name, image and likeness era.

Trump directed the secretary of labor and the National Labor Relations Board to clarify the status of collegiate athletes through guidance or rules “that will maximize the educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.” The order does not provide or suggest specifics on the controversial topic of college athlete employment.

The move comes after months of speculation about whether Trump will establish a college sports commission to tackle some of the thorny issues facing what is now a multibillion-dollar industry. He instead issued an order intended to add some controls to “an out-of-control, rudderless system in which competing university donors engage in bidding wars for the best players, who can change teams each season.”

CHARLOTTE — After a career year a season ago, Antonio Williams seriously considered forgoing his senior season at Clemson and making the move to the NFL.

Williams was a catalyst for the resurgent Tigers’ offense last season, recording 75 receptions for 904 yards with 11 touchdown catches, leading the team in all three categories. After that kind of season, it would have been understandable had he decided to enter the NFL Draft.

However, Williams wasn’t pleased with some of the feedback he was getting and ultimately decided to return for one more go around at Clemson.

“I had to really sit down and think about what was best for my future,” Williams told The Clemson Insider. “I didn’t like some of the grades I was getting back from the draft. I didn’t want to settle and just go be a draft pick just because I could. I have a level of expectation for myself of where I want to go and what type of player I think I am. That was the biggest thing coming back.”

There is a risk/reward involved with coming back due to the ever-existent possibility of an injury. After missing most of his sophomore campaign for that very reason, it’s something Williams is more than familiar with.

At the end of the day, Williams decided the risk was worth the reward because he feels that he has unfinished business with the Tigers.

“Wanting to be remembered and build a great legacy here,” Williams added. “I want to leave the receiver room better than I found it.”

Then there is the money factor. With the advent of NIL and a new revenue-sharing model that took effect on July 1, Williams is going to be well compensated for his final season at Clemson, and depending on where he might have been picked, possibly being paid even more than he would have next season had he decided to enter the draft.

“For sure. When you look at the numbers and things like that, if we couldn’t make any money in college, then obviously, if you are in it for money, then there would be no question of going to the NFL,” Williams said. “You can actually profit off your NIL in college and that is great.”

Former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban gave kudos to President Donald Trump for signing an executive order that set new restrictions on payments to college athletes on Thursday. 

The order prohibits athletes from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources. However, the order does not impose any restrictions on NIL payments to college athletes by third-party sources.

“I think President Trump’s executive order takes a huge step in providing the educational model, which is what we’ve always tried to promote to create opportunities for players, male and female, revenue and non-revenue, so they can have development as people, students, and develop careers and develop professionally if that’s what they choose to do,” Saban told “Fox & Friends” on Friday. 

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President Donald Trump shakes hands with legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban before delivering a special commencement address to University of Alabama graduates at Coleman Coliseum. Graduation occurs over the weekend.  (Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News)

“I think we sort of need to make a decision here relative to do we want to have an education-based model, which I think the president made a huge step toward doing that, or do we want to have universities sponsor professional teams? And I think most people would choose the former.”

The order states that “any revenue-sharing permitted between universities and collegiate athletes should be implemented in a manner that protects women’s and non-revenue sports.”

“The Order requires the preservation and, where possible, expansion of opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports.” 

No clear guidelines for how those sports would be accounted for were provided in the initial announcement. However, Saban seemed confident that college sports are safe.

President Donald Trump poses with Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and members of the Crimson Tide ceremony honoring the college football playoff champion Crimson Tide on the South Lawn at the White House on April 10, 2018. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

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“I think the clearing house is there to authenticate name, image and likeness. In other words, is your marketing value relative to what you’re getting paid to do a marketing opportunity? When you cross that line, that’s when it becomes pay for play,” he said. “So you have collectives that raise money that pay players, and they really don’t do a relative marketing job to earn that money, and that’s where this whole thing has kind of gotten sideways. I think this whole clearing house is there to sort of protect the collective affecting competitive balance in college sports.”

“I’m for keeping all the sports that we have as many as we can have, but there are financial concerns relative to how many sports can you promote that don’t create revenue,” Saban added. “I think one of the things people need to understand about college sports, they say it’s a business, but it’s really not a business. It’s revenue-producing, and two sports have created the revenue to have 20 other sports. And I think that’s why it’s important we have a system in place. I think President Trump’s made the first step…that would protect the opportunities that we’ve been able to provide male and female non-revenue sports. I think it’s everybody’s goal to keep all those opportunities intact.”

FILE – President Donald Trump gestures as Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban (L) smiles at a ceremony honoring the college football playoff champion Crimson Tide on the South Lawn at the White House on April 10, 2018. (Geoff Burke-USA Today Sports)

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Saban and Trump met back in May to discuss the current state of college athletes and NIL deals. Saban retired in 2024, largely due to the new culture.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump issued an executive order Thursday designed to improve the state of name, image and likeness, specifically to prohibit third-party payments. The order, titled “Saving College Sports”, is in lockstep with the goals established by the College Sports Commission’s name, image and likeness clearinghouse and is widely supported by athletic directors around the country. 

The College Sports Commission, or CSC, was established to govern financial issues in the revenue-sharing era, and it was created in partnership with financial consulting firm Deloitte, . The CSC established an “NIL Go” portal designed to ensure fair market value and valid business purpose based on an actual endorsement. The NIL Go portal provides student-athletes an avenue to report third-party NIL deals to be evaluated for rules compliance; an athlete can do this before accepting any deal, ensuring their eligibility won’t be jeopardized. 

The executive order also has the support of the NCAA, which released a statement late Thursday after the executive order was issued. 

“The NCAA is making positive changes for student-athletes and confronting many challenges facing college sports by mandating health and wellness benefits and guaranteeing scholarships, but there are some threats to college sports that federal legislation can effectively address and the Association is advocating with student-athletes and their schools for a bipartisan solution with Congress and the Administration,” NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote in a statement. “The Association appreciates the Trump Administration’s focus on the life-changing opportunities college sports provides millions of young people and we look forward to working with student-athletes, a bipartisan coalition in Congress and the Trump Administration to enhance college sports for years to come.”

In the 24 hours since, athletic directors around the country have chimed in on the order, including from the Southeastern Conference; Alabama’s Greg Byrne praised the order, for example, Thursday night. 

“The University of Alabama applauds this executive order from President Trump to help ensure a long-term, sustainable model of intercollegiate athletics,” Byrne wrote. “We are proud of our broad-based athletics programs and strongly support future regulatory and congressional action that will preserve these opportunities for student-athletes.”

Now, Florida’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin, has followed suit, praising the order and its intention to improve the current state of collegiate athletics in the era of NIL and, most recently, revenue sharing. 

“The attention President Trump and congressional leaders are giving to the future of college athletics is welcomed and appreciated. Yesterday’s executive order underscores the growing recognition in Washington of the need to modernize the collegiate model while preserving the educational and competitive opportunities it provides to student-athletes nationwide,” Stricklin wrote. “At the University of Florida, we remain committed to supporting our student-athletes in every aspect of their development. We’re encouraged by the White House’s and Congress’s engagement and look forward to working with policymakers, the SEC, and our peers across college sports to shape thoughtful solutions that ensure the long-term strength and sustainability of college athletics.”

Unsurprisingly, the current state of collegiate athletics was a consistent talking point at SEC Media Days, with coaches in attendance discussing the impact of NIL and revenue sharing following the House v. NCAA settlement. 

“Right now, I would say that there’s a ton of different interpretations of the market,” Florida football head coach Billy Napier said at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. “We need clarity on: what is the role of a collective? What is going to be approved from a third-party NIL deal? What is legal relative to high school players, pre-enrollment? And then, you know, we have no idea what this market – where’s the dust gonna settle for a veteran player on the team when it comes to marketing, corporate sponsorship, true NIL. We don’t know.”

Less than a week after Napier’s comments, the immediate future of the roles collectives looked a bit clearer. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports reported attorneys for the House plaintiffs reached an agreement with NCAA officials and the power conferences to allow booster-backed collectives or any “school-associated entity” to operate as traditional businesses do in handing out NIL deals and sponsorships.

If there’s any guarantees regarding NIL and the state of collegiate athletics, President Donald Trump’s executive order won’t be the final action taken at the federal level – it’s simply the latest implementation.