NCAA transfer portal rules, NIL could change under new bipartisan Senate bill

May 28, 2026 - 20:40

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NCAA transfer portal rules, NIL could change under new bipartisan Senate bill

Following a decade of seismic shifts in college athletics, a group of U.S. senators has unveiled a bill meant to bring stability to intercollegiate sports.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., released a proposal known as the Protect College Sports Act.

College athletics has been fundamentally changed in recent years, allowing athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). In addition, recent legal settlements have cleared the way for schools to pay athletes a share of revenue generated by massive television deals.

Additionally, players have been largely free to transfer between institutions without losing eligibility, leading to some athletes playing for four different universities in four years.

Meanwhile, several major conferences have undergone significant realignment. The once-powerful Pac-12 lost most of its members, resulting in several West Coast universities joining the Atlantic Coast Conference.

While these changes have largely benefited athletes in football and men's basketball, leaders in many Olympic sports, particularly womens sports, have expressed concern about the shifting power dynamic.

The proposal from Cruz and Cantwell aims to stabilize this landscape. Under the bill, athletes could continue to profit from NIL, but negotiations would be restricted to dedicated windows. It would also require the reporting of any NIL deal valued at more than $600 and would allow universities and conferences to cap revenue-sharing payments to players.

The bill also addresses transfers. Athletes would be guaranteed one transfer during their career without losing eligibility. However, the NCAA could require athletes who transfer a second time to sit out a year of competition, with some exceptions.

The proposal would require that national broadcasts of football and basketball games be made available on free, over-the-air television in the local markets of participating schools.

To prevent further consolidation, the bill seeks to limit mergers between major athletic conferences.

Cruz said the legislation aims to restore the connection between athletics and education, preventing college sports from becoming a de facto professional minor league.

College sports are at a breaking point. Fans can see their favorite teams being hollowed out by transfer chaos, fake NIL bidding wars, eligibility lawsuits, and a system that allows the richest programs to keep pulling away," he said. "The Protect College Sports Act is a bipartisan plan to restore order. Student athletes can profit from their name, image, and likeness, but college sports still needs real rules, competitive balance, rivalries, and a true connection to education.

The bill is expected to go before the Senate Commerce Committee before heading to the full Senate.