NCAA: New bill introduced to limit transfers, coach movement

NCAA official logo. (Provided by NCAA)

WASHINGTON, DC – Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell introduced a bill that would create new rules around transfers, eligibility, coaching movement, and more, according to the NCAA. 

The bill is formally named “Protect College Sports Act of 2026.” Additionally, the bill would need to be approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives to become law. 

According to the bill, it would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption that would allow it to enforce rules around transfers and eligibility without facing challenges from state and local courts. 

Additionally, the bill seeks to end the practice of college football coaches changing teams before the end of the season and prevent the creation of a Big Ten/SEC super league, while proposing an amendment to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 that would require schools to offer free local broadcasts of football and basketball games if they choose to pool their media rights. 

Here is a look at some of the notable rules proposed in the Protect College Sports Act:

Only One Free Transfer: The bill would allow athletes to transfer once without penalty, but would force athletes to sit out a year if they transfer for a second time. Athletes would be allowed to transfer for a second time without penalty if they are a graduate transfer, their head coach leaves for another school, their sport is discontinued at their school, or they are a victim of sexual assault or harassment by an individual associated with their team. 

Ineligibility: This portion of the bill would allow the NCAA to deem athletes ineligible for using illegal or performance-enhancing drugs or gambling on sports, and for a school to deem an athlete ineligible for violating its code of conduct that applies to all students. Athletes who have been paid to play professionally would not be eligible to play college sports. However, athletes outside of football and basketball would be able to earn prize money for competing in professional events as long as the prize money is provided only by the sponsor of the event and that sponsor is not connected to an NCAA institution. 

Salary Cap Enforcement: This seeks to close loopholes that allow schools to circumvent the revenue-sharing cap by arranging third-party NIL deals for their athletes through corporate sponsors. The bill would prevent third-party NIL deals that meet “a valid business purpose” and are “commensurate with compensation paid to individuals with a similar profile, reputation, or notability who are not student athletes or prospective student athletes.” The bill will prohibit conferences that made more than $1 billion in 2025, the Big Ten and SEC, from merging to form a super league separate from the other FBS conferences. 

The introduction of this bill is the first step toward enacting Congressional legislation that college sports leaders have long requested to allow them to enforce rules around transfers, eligibility, and NIL. 

Section-by-Section of the bill click HERE

Bill text click HERE