Legislators Introduce "The Protect College Sports" Act; How This Affects South Carolina

Support and grievances about the status of the current state of college sports has been hotly debated in recent years. From NIL to spending to the transfer portal and more, many have discussed ideas of how to fix these issues. Now congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle have gotten together to introduce "The Protect College Sports" act which is designed to regulate college sports.

Senators Maria Cantwell, Democrat, and Ted Cruz, Republican, have agreed to a comprehensive bill that would grant the NCAA anti-trust exemption related to transfers, compensation of athletes and eligibility.

Per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, "The bill — named the Protect College Sports Act — precludes the creation of a so-called “super league”; creates an agent registry limiting fees to 5%; permits the pooling of media rights; and bars coaches from leaving their team before the season ends."

The last line of the quote has been referred to the "Lane Kiffin rule" as Kiffin left Ole Miss last season before the team's playoff games to go to LSU. Kiffin certainly isn't the only coach to have talks with other programs about head coaching opportunities while still employed with their current school.

Per Dellenger, "Cantwell described the bill as delivering historic protections for athletes in creating a national standard for name, image and likeness compensation (NIL) by preempting state law. The bill is intended to curtail the industry’s spending arms race to protect the future of Olympic and women’s sports and also provides athletes with guaranteed medical care and scholarships."

What The Bill Includes

The bill will permit only one transfer before a player must miss a season of eligibility. Other transfer opportunities would be available to athletes should their sport be eliminated at their school or in the case of a head coach leaving said school.
A five year eligibility length for college athletes and prohibits professional athletes from competing - those who have earned compensation for their play both domestically and internationally.
Gives the NCAA and College Sports Commission legal protection to enforce strict standards in NIL dealings
Remains mostly neutral on athlete employment, leaving open as a possibility for athletes to eventually be deemed employees or/and collectively bargain.

Opponents Say This is a Loss for Athletes

AO comes out against the Protect College Sports Act https://t.co/4y1Ucy9yJO pic.twitter.com/bIF7Whb2Fk
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) May 28, 2026

Athletes.org came out in opposition to the bill saying "The Protect College Sports Act is being marketed as a solution to stabilize college sports, but in reality, it protects schools, conferences, the College Sports Commission and NCAA leadership at the expense of college athletes it claims to protect. At its core, the bill would grant antitrust protections to the NCAA and its member institutions while legalizing restrictions on athlete compensation, transfers and eligibility. If passed, this bill will directly attack athlete freedom and serve as a roadblock to true independent athlete representation through a players association in college sports.

How This Affects South Carolina

Should this bill pass, something we are not close to today, it would allow for less player movement, which will give teams a better idea of their rosters year to year. It will end the the current legal battles of college athletes staying in college athletics for longer than five years. And allows for a potential collective bargaining agreement in the future, similar to the NFL and other professional leagues.

This bill still has to go through hearings, committee fights, and more before it is ever enacted. Don't expect this to be passed anytime soon, but it is a framework of what the future of college athletics can look like.

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