On Wednesday, former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban will take part in a U.S. Senate committee hearing on a bipartisan college sports bill.
The hearing, entitled “Protecting College Sports: Supporting Student Athletes, Restoring Fair Competition, and Saving the Games Fans Love,” will convene at 8 a.m. CT to assess the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.
“The Protect College Sports Act is bipartisan legislation designed to save a tradition that is currently in crisis – college sports,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), bill sponsor and hearing chairman. “The bill protects athletes and competition, enables coaches to build and sustain competitive programs, and safeguards traditional regional rivalries. It also affirms the rights of student athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness, while preserving the unique American system of college athletics. But at the forefront, this legislation ensures the system remains focused on providing students with an education. We cannot allow college athletics to morph into a mini-NFL or NBA.”
The Protect College Sports Act:
1. Ends the roster chaos with national rules for transfers (one free undergrad) and eligibility (5-in-5)
2. Creates enforceable standards on recruiting, tampering, and NIL disclosures
3. Protects student athletes’ right to earn from their own NIL
4. Enables enforcement of House settlement on revenue sharing and fake NIL deals
5. Sanctions against agents that take advantage of student athletes, facilitate player poaching, and recruit tampering
6. Protects women’s sports, Olympic sports, and scholarship opportunities
7. Preserves historic rivalries
8. Keeps college sports tied to education, so student athletes become successful adults
9. Prohibits football coaches from quitting mid-season to be hired by another program
10. Guarantees safety standards, health care, and an ombudsman for student athletes
11. Makes TV money work for college sports with an option for schools to pool media rights
12. Stops Super League consolidation
Saban has been a vocal supporter of college sports reform, citing the transfer portal and NIL as factors that inspired his seemingly abrupt retirement two years ago.
Joining Saban for the committee hearing will be Pete Bevacqua, director of athletics, University of Notre Dame; Gordon Gee, president emeritus, West Virginia University; Teresa Gould, commissioner, NCAA Pac-12 Conference; and Lance Holtzclaw, student athlete, The University of Utah.
To connect with the story's author or comment, email [email protected] or find him on X and Facebook.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
