Student Athlete Act of 2026

This bill would give each college student athlete 5 consecutive years of eligibility to play intercollegiate sports, regardless of injury or any other event, overriding NCAA rules. It would require the NCAA to set rules for the transfer portal, including when athletes may announce an intent to transfer, and would exempt those rules from federal antitrust law. After a first transfer, an athlete who transfers again would be ineligible to compete in NCAA events for the academic year in which they entered the transfer portal. Colleges would have to honor their original athletic aid commitments to student athletes, with the new school taking on that duty after a transfer, and states could not enforce laws that conflict with the bill.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• W. Gregory Steube Republican sponsor
• 0 cosponsors