How New Legislation Could Impact Texas A&M’s Transfer Portal Class

Texas A&M received a commitment from Bryson Warren, who already faces an uphill battle for eligibility, but proposed legislation could further complicate it.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan reacts during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell introduced a new bill, titled the Protect College Sports Act, that could flip collegiate athletics.

The NCAA has been tasked with regulating eligibility and the transfer portal and enforcing cap restrictions, and the leagues have run wild. Over the last few seasons, college sports have changed quickly, and teams are struggling to adapt to the new normal.

This new bipartisan bill promises to bring sweeping changes, but it could also impact the Texas A&M men’s basketball team’s roster for the 2026 season.

How New Eligibility Rules Could Impact Texas A&M’s Roster

Jalen Lewis, left, defends against teammate Bryson Warren while warming up before a game at Overtime Elite Academy. | Dustin Chambers for USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are multiple ways this new bill could immediately impact Texas A&M athletics, from enforcement of regional rivalries to potential media rights contract pools. One direct consequence would change the outlook on the Aggies’ 2026 offseason.

The bill threatens to enforce changes to eligibility rules, which have been directly challenged by teams finding creative ways to add talent to their rosters. All players who have played professionally — whether domestically or internationally — could be ineligible to compete under the new bill.

According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, “[the bill] establishes a five-year eligibility length for college athletes and prohibits professional athletes — even those having competed internationally — from participating in college sports if they earned compensation in their pro careers beyond prize money.”

Texas A&M is currently awaiting an official ruling on the eligibility of transfer portal addition Bryson Warren, a former G League player who joined the Aggies this offseason. Warren has never played college basketball, which makes his eligibility case different from Alabama's controversial G League addition, Charles Bediako.

However, the 21-year-old guard has signed multiple professional basketball contracts. This would explicitly prohibit him from being eligible under the proposed legislation.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. is helped up by Miami Heat guard Alondes Williams and guard Bryson Warren during the first quarter at Chase Center. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Warren is a talented point guard who was part of the 2023 recruiting class and was ranked as a five-star recruit by ESPN. After averaging 24.1 points for Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, he planned to transfer to Link Academy in Missouri before deciding to join Overtime Elite — a scholarship-based basketball league for 16- to 20-year-olds — in 2021.

In 2023, Warren entered the G League draft as an 18-year-old and was selected by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He entered the NBA draft in 2024, but went unselected. He signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks before returning to the G League with Sioux Falls.

This history already calls into question his status to join Texas A&M this fall, even before the new proposed bill. NCAA president Charlie Baker said in December that “the NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”

This does beg the question of whether all NBA contracts are equal. Bediako signed a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs in 2023. For Warren’s sake, the question is whether an Exhibit 10 contract counts the same.

This quote came from a press release in response to James Nnaji's enrollment at Baylor in 2025. The Nigerian big man was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft but never signed a contract with an NBA team, unlike Warren.

Baylor Bears center James Nnaji guards Kansas State Wildcats center Dorin Buca during the first half at Bramlage Coliseum. | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Other recent players — including London Johnson (Louisville) and Abdullah Ahmed (BYU) — were granted eligibility after playing in the G League but never signing an NBA contract.

This differs from Warren and Dink Pate, who transferred to Providence in April and signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the New York Knicks in 2025. Both await an official ruling on their eligibility, though neither signed a two-way deal like Bediako.

If the proposed bill is passed before Warren receives an official determination on his eligibility, it would close the door on his joining Texas A&M. However, that is unlikely, as Dellenger called it a "months-long process."

Between this bill and President Donald Trump’s executive order that intends to enact similar policy change, the future of college sports is on the path toward legislation that would close the gap where the NCAA has fallen short.

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