United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that could have a significant impact on college football and athletics in general. The executive order states:
“It is the policy of my Administration that all college sports should be preserved and, where possible, expanded. My Administration will therefore provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes, collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, and the special American institution of college sports. It is common sense that college sports are not, and should not be, professional sports, and my Administration will take action accordingly.”
According to a report from CNN, this order aims to preserve and expand college sports. However, there has been no indication that Donald Trump or his administration is expected to provide sudden, strict rules on the NCAA or its teams. The order also states that athletic departments with more than $125 million in revenue should provide more scholarship opportunities to students.
Following the announcement of this executive order from the President, ESPN insider Ross Dellenger appeared on “The Paul Finebaum Show” to discuss the impact.
“There’s so much going on with Trump’s cabinet,” Dellenger said. “They’re a little busy with a lot of other things happening in the world that are a little more pressing than college athletics. I wish I could come on here and say this is some groundbreaking thing and everything is gonna change in college sports because of this. I don’t think that’s the case.”
Instant reaction from @RossDellenger :
“I wish I could tell you that (Trump’s executive order) was some groundbreaking thing and everything’s going to change in college sports after this…but I don’t think that’s the case.” pic.twitter.com/WxfjJIemE8
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) July 24, 2025
The NCAA Has Already Modified Some Rules To Address Some of the Points of Donald Trump’s Executive Order
The NCAA had already started to make changes in regards to third-party payments before Donald Trump’s executive order. Notably, in April, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors created oversight for all NIL deals that exceed $600.
NCAA President Charlie Baker also released a statement following Trump’s executive order. He stated that the NCAA is attempting to improve the condition of student-athletes while confronting some of the new challenges facing college sports. He also acknowledged that there are several issues facing college athletics at the moment, and federal legislation can effectively address many of those issues.
The new executive order does not currently have an enforcement mechanism. So, it is possible that an update to the order could come.
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