A bipartisan agreement has been reached by U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz of Texas and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell of Washington on a bill aimed at restoring order in college athletics. It’s branded the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) of 2026.
The PCSA is meant to bring back stability to college sports by generating national rules that are enforceable, keeping fair competition preserved, providing protection for student-athletes and guaranteeing that fans don’t see their favorite teams, rivalries and traditions disappear, according to a committee press release. (RELATED: Lawsuit From Former US Olympian Against USA Fencing Over Alleged Transgender Athlete Gets Dismissed)
The legislation would also bring order to athletes’ Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, recruiting, transfers, tampering and eligibility; trigger protection for student-athletes while keeping college sports from turning into professional sports; keep top games and traditions alive; have television money function for college athletics; and return equal competitiveness to guarantee that every college, not only blue blood programs, will be able to compete.
It also includes:
- the establishment of an official student-athlete ombudsman
- student-athlete medical coverage
- athlete-agent rules
- academic as well as scholarship protections
- NIL protections
- prohibited compensation and cap-evasion provisions
- rules for transfer and eligibility
- legal certainty in covered enforcement
- standards in health and safety
- tampering and recruitment rules
- standards for NIL disclosure
- neutrality regarding employment status
- preempting conflicting state rules
Some of the policies that will play out will be: student-athletes will have eligibility for five years and will only be able to transfer once prior to missing a full season of eligbility, the “Lane Kiffin Rule” will stop coaches from exiting a program in the middle of a season, both American and international professional players will be banned if they secured compensation outside of prize money and a “super league” will be prohibited, per Yahoo Sports senior college football reporter Ross Dellenger.
Exclusive to @YahooSports: Sens. Ted Cruz & Maria Cantwell detail their groundbreaking legislation:
*1X transfer
*5-yr eligibility/pro player ban
*hard cap
*5% max agent fee
*”Lane Kiffin Rule”
*optional pooling of TV rights
*prohibits “super league”
More-https://t.co/Kva5gesC5l— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 27, 2026
For broadcasting and media, the legislation generates a framework of conditions for local access to broadcasting contests, protecting rivalries, pooled media rights that are televised, use-it-or-lose-it non-football/non-basketball rights to media, guardrails against consolidation and protections for women’s and Olympic athletics.
An announcement from the committee about a future hearing on the bill is expected soon.
“College sports are at a breaking point. Fans can see their favorite teams being hollowed out by transfer chaos, fake NIL bidding wars, eligibility lawsuits, and a system that allows the richest programs to keep pulling away. The Protect College Sports Act is a bipartisan plan to restore order,” said Cruz.
“Student athletes can profit from their name, image, and likeness, but college sports still needs real rules, competitive balance, rivalries, and a true connection to education. This bill protects athletes and fans and keeps college sports from becoming a two-conference minor league.”