Student Athlete Act of 2026

This bill would give college athletes 5 consecutive years of eligibility to play college sports, regardless of injury or any other event, overriding NCAA rules. The NCAA would set rules for the transfer portal, including the time periods when athletes may announce a transfer, and would be exempt from federal antitrust law when making these rules. After an athlete's first transfer, any later transfer would make the athlete ineligible to compete for the academic year in which they entered the portal. Colleges would have to honor their original athletic aid commitments to athletes, though they could revoke aid for athletes not in good standing. States could not keep or pass laws that conflict with or limit the rights set out in this bill.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Tommy Tuberville Republican sponsor
• 1 cosponsors