President Trump signed an executive order titled “Saving College Sports,” on July 24, 2025. The order, which has been the subject of speculation for weeks, is presented as a response to the rapidly evolving and increasing uneasiness in the current state of college athletics. While the executive order lays out broad policy objectives, it does not directly adopt guidelines impacting recent Name Image and Likeness (NIL) class action settlements or NCAA rule changes.

Notably, the executive order takes a firm stance against third-party pay-for-play agreements, which it calls a “mortal threat to most college sports.” It declares that payments to athletes from outside parties should only be permitted if the deal reflects the fair market value of actual services provided, such as brand endorsements. This language echoes longstanding NCAA rules, so this stance—while noteworthy—does little to alter current NCAA rules on the subject.

The order does not impose any new federal restrictions or override existing state NIL laws. Instead, it directs the U.S. Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission to develop policies that support the long-term availability of college athletic opportunities within 60 days of the order.

In addition to expressing concern about revenue-driven changes to college football and men’s college basketball, the order emphasizes the need to protect Olympic competition and women’s sports. The order calls for new scholarship thresholds for non-revenue generating sports and women’s sports, and suggests that a stable path forward must prioritize the sustainability of all collegiate athletic programs.

Importantly, the executive order is silent on two attention-grabbing areas of NIL. The order says nothing about an NCAA antitrust exemption, and it does not reference classifying college athletes as employees. These two issues will continue to be debated for the foreseeable future as the NCAA continues to defend against a plethora of legal action against the organization on multiple fronts.

The “Saving College Sports” order does not provide guidance or enforceable provisions, but the fact that the White House has shined a light on the subject reflects the broad interest in the new world of college sports.

The order may mark just the beginning of the federal government’s growing involvement in the rapidly shifting landscape of college sports. Stay tuned.

*Clay Horowitz, a summer law clerk at McCarter & English not yet admitted to the bar, contributed to this alert.

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Tony Sanchez began his second season as head football coach at New Mexico State University this week, hoping two important goals are accomplished: a successful campaign for his Aggies and a measure of stability amid the chaos sweeping college sports due to NIL deals and multiple transfer portals.

As the leader of a mid-major program, Mr. Sanchez faces the constant challenge of seeing his top talent poached by wealthier, higher-profile schools, while simultaneously hunting for overlooked players to fill those gaps. With money now at the center of everything with little regulation on how it’s distributed, Mr. Sanchez is among those supporting President Trump’s recent executive order aiming to limit NIL deals.

“I 100 percent believe in what he’s doing,” Mr. Sanchez told the New York Sun. “He might be the only person that can actually do something to at least settle things down. Right now, the way the rules are changing at the pace that they’re changing, it doesn’t make sense.”

According to On3 NIL valuations, Arch Manning will earn $6.8 million to quarterback the Texas Longhorns this season, while Carson Beck will be paid $4.3 million to be the quarterback at Miami. Jeremiah Smith, a wide receiver at Ohio State, has a $4.2 million valuation. Logan Fife, who previously played at Fresno State and Montano, will be the NMSU quarterback this year. His NIL valuation is estimated at $50,000, sources told the Sun.

Players at Power 4 schools commonly earn seven figure deals. Mid-major schools normally don’t have those resources, which is why players are looking to impress enough to move up a richer deal. Mr. Sanchez, like other coaches around the nation, can deal with that. But the uncapped amount schools can offer backup players combined with transfer portals in the winter and spring, has created an unfair and unsustainable climate that Ms. Sanchez hopes President Trump’s influence can correct.

“We’re never going to have what Texas is giving you,” Mr. Sanchez said. “But at some point, there’s got to be a cap. If there’s no cap, there’s no parity at any level. Bigger schools can take some of your better players to be their second or third string players and pay them a handsome amount of money. For a kid who has never had anything, he sacrifices his opportunity to play for dollars. You can’t blame a kid for that. But at the same time what does it do to the quality of the game? And it’s so nonsensical that we have two transfer portals. Who does that? The NFL doesn’t do that with free agency. It doesn’t make sense.”

In signing the executive order, Mr. Trump called the current NIL landscape an “out-of-control, rudderless system.” It seeks to ban “third-party, pay-for-play, payments to collegiate athletes,” while allowing them to earn income from brand endorsement deals. It also seeks to preserve “scholarships and collegiate athletic opportunities in women’s and non-revenue sports.”

Mr. Trump also wants the National Labor Relations Board to clarify initiatives to make college athletes university employees and form labor unions.

Many smaller schools like New Mexico State, which competes in Conference USA, have formed NIL collectives which seek donations from alumni and their local communities to offer endorsement deals to athletes.

Coaches who once used a four-year educational experience and college lifestyle to recruit players, now lead with dollars and the potential for more dollars. “If you’re going to find a way to have success in this day and age at a non-Power 4 school, you have to change your approach,” Mr. Sanchez said. “We never want anybody to leave, but we’ve got 17 former players at Power 4 schools making $7 million. We had an offensive lineman go to Kentucky for $1.5 million. We tell them that story. We tell them these are the opportunities you have coming to New Mexico State. It takes the BS out of the room. You’ve ripped the Band-Aid off and it’s an open conversation.”

Mr. Sanchez, who served as the head coach at Nevada-Las Vegas from 2014 to 2019, said his staff was better prepared for this season after replacing Jerry Kill at NMSU before the start of the 2024 campaign where the Aggies went 3-9.  “We lost a lot of players before I got the job last year, and then we lost a lot of players after the spring,” he said. “This year we had an idea what might happen, and we planned for it.  We were way more prepared. I think we have a chance to have a pretty good team.”

Meanwhile, he hopes Mr. Trump’s executive order can stabilize the NIL landscape.  “We have the second most viewed sport behind the NFL,” he said. “We have a great product. Let’s keep it that way.”

COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski has dedicated the team’s annual Coaches Award in honor of former player Mike McIlwain. McIlwain passed away on June 6 after a courageous battle with cancer.

“It is my distinct honor to dedicate our Coaches Award in memory of Mike McIlwain.”, said head coach Sasho Cirovski. “Mike was one of the very first student-athletes I recruited, and he played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for our early success here at Maryland. He exemplified professionalism in everything he did and was the ultimate teammate. Mike carried that same passion and dedication into his professional life, selflessly serving his patients and giving back to his community. Above all, he was a devoted husband and father who always put his family first. There is no one more deserving of this recognition. Mike’s legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of this program.”

McIlwain played at Maryland from 1994-97, and was a member of the 1996 team that won the first ACC championship under coach Cirovski. Over his four years in College Park, McIlwain played in 67 games and made 16 starts. He finished his career with 13 goals and 10 assists, and helped lead the Terrapins to four consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Maryland was the only program in the nation during that four-year span that reached the Sweet 16 every year. The team’s 16 wins during the 1997 were the most in school history at the time.

Following his time at Maryland, McIlwain went to graduate school at the University of Florida to study dentistry. He brought the same hard work and dedication he learned on the soccer pitch to his next career, becoming a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. For over 20 years Mike dedicated himself to his patients and his community, offering outstanding care and supporting families. He dedicated himself to many outstanding organizations, including donating his time and expertise to the Tampa Bay Cleft and Craniofacial Center.

Mike’s love for soccer continued after his playing days, as a youth coach for Tampa Bay United. He loved mentoring young athletes, and strived to develop the same love for the game that he learned as a youth player. 

Mike McIlwain is survived by his loving wife Cristina Yarnoz McIlwain, their three children: Ella, Grayson, and Lucia. He will be remembered for his tireless dedication to his family and his community.

Associated Press

Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.

Its importance is clear to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who has seen all but five players from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.

“Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught,” he said. “That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances, but you’d have to ask those guys.”

More than 3,000 Bowl Subdivision players reportedly entered the transfer portal this past spring, which would average out to about 22 players per team. For the Razorbacks, 10 starters will be back and one of them is senior defensive lineman Cam Ball. He has remained with Arkansas his entire career, a somewhat rare occurrence for an NFL hopeful these days.

“I’m just a loyal guy. I’m loyal to the state of Arkansas; Arkansas has been loyal to me,” Ball said.

Arkansas, like many schools, is also trying to scare up more money from donors as it faces the financial ramifications of the $2.8 billion House settlement; last fall, the athletic director said the school needed some $12 million more annually to “be in the NIL game from a football perspective.” Besides the money, the Razorbacks have to find talented players; Ball grew up in Atlanta, just barely within the regional footprint in which Pittman prefers to recruit.

“We have to go outside our state,” Pittman said. “In-state recruiting has changed over the last three or four years because of NIL. So you have to think about the talent — who it is versus what pay is expected. So that’s been a little bit more difficult in our state.”

Pittman isn’t the only coach who wants prospects to be familiar with what their college experience will look like before making any life-changing decisions. Florida coach Billy Napier paints a clear picture of life in Gainesville and the challenges and perks that come with it.

“We present our product in a way where we’re selling the degree, the alumni network, the Gator-made program, and you have to be up for the challenge of trying to get Florida back to where it’s been before,” he said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep it together.”

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class remains mostly intact, and from Napier’s perspective, hungrier than ever. Compared to other SEC teams, the Gators have had more success with retention. Napier doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

“We told them when they came in, you know, look, it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows here. We’re in this thing for the long haul,” Napier said. “I think a lot of this is how you pitch it in recruiting. We’re going to continue to do that, and retention is more important than it’s ever been.”

Coaches scrambling to prevent transfers and maintain consistency isn’t exclusive to the SEC. The approval of the House settlement is a double-edged sword when it comes to retention, and Power Four schools and beyond are feeling the effects. Third-party NIL deals are no longer the only negotiation tactic schools need to worry about.

Complex contracts are becoming common and legal risks grow for athletes and programs alike as college football increasingly resembles the pros. Some deals are being negotiated solely by athletes as young as 18.

As a redshirt senior, Louisville linebacker TJ Quinn is used to the process.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous (to negotiate) because this is my third year of having to do that,” Quinn said. “You’ve got to kind of stand your ground with what you feel like is your worth. If you’re comfortable with their offer, then sign. Then you have some guys that’ll leave and go to schools to get more money and stuff. That was never really like a big pusher for me, to go out and get more money because I feel like I’m in a good situation here at Louisville.”

Quinn’s loyalty could be the most convincing negotiation tactic of them all. While programs use revenue-share dollars to sway prospective transfers, coaches have begun to reward loyalty.

“To some degree, it’s capitalism that you get what you earn. So the guys that go out and play well are going to get more than the guys who haven’t proven it yet,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Everybody on the team’s not going to make the same. Fair doesn’t always mean equal.”

But he also said the Mustangs are not going to add players “making a whole lot more than those guys who have already earned it here.”

“And I think that’s what helps us keep a good culture, is try to start with: Let’s retain first, and then whatever’s left, let’s go build the best team we can for those guys,” Lashlee said.

North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren doubled down.

“A guy that’s been on a team three years, that’s playing well and earned it on the field should make more than a guy coming in the door. I think that’s a proper way to do business,” Doeren said, though he warned that might not be the case across the board. “Right now, common sense is not prevailing in college football.”

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AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football