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President Donald Trump mulling executive order aimed at NIL, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
According to one Friday evening report, President Donald Trump is considering an executive order aimed at NIL in college athletics, and a meeting with Nick Saban is reportedly the reason why.
Recently, the longtime head coach and the current president of the United States spoke together at a commencement event for Alabama. However, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Trump also met with Saban ahead of that event.
According to that report, the two met on Thursday night, and the topic of NIL deals came up. The end result is that the Trump administration is considering an executive order that “could increase scrutiny of the explosion in payments to college athletes since 2021.”
The topic of NIL deals has been growing ever since its introduction, with the cost of rosters, particularly in college football, ballooning, and with many programs seeming unable to enforce deals signed with players. Last season, Ohio State reportedly spent around $20 million on its roster that won the national championship, and a recent report indicated Texas is prepared to spend over $35 million on its roster for the 2025 season.
It is unclear what could become of an executive order, but President Trump would certainly be the most powerful individual to address the topic.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
