Former college football coach and current Senator Tommy Tuberville has introduced a new bill designed to bring order back to two of the most volatile aspects of college athletics: eligibility rules and the transfer portal.
Unveiled on March 24, the Student Athlete Act of 2026 seeks to simplify when players can compete and to rein in the constant movement between schools.
What’s in the bill?
Tuberville’s bill would create a five-year eligibility window and limit players to one free transfer. The proposed “5-in-5” rule would give athletes five consecutive years to play five seasons, setting a single national standard regardless of injuries or other interruptions.
The bill would also allow a one-time free transfer. Any athlete who transfers after that would have to sit out a year before becoming eligible to compete at their new school. Supporters say the measure is meant to curb the constant roster shuffling and protect academics.
“Transferring every year interrupts a student’s education and is bad for team morale,” Tuberville said.
NIL and transfer portal chaos spur action
Why now? Since President Donald Trump signed the “Save College Sports” executive order in July 2025, momentum for action has ramped up in 2026.
“In 2026, we had over 10,000 young men get into the transfer portal in college football, who probably will not get a degree when they transfer,” Tuberville told OutKick.
Across college sports, the concern is making sure student-athletes aren’t being lost in the shuffle academically. Critics point to the academic calendar and blame the short window to figure out who can transfer and who can’t.
Boston College head football coach Bill O’Brien told SI, “Do they have enough credits to transfer in? Our admissions did an unbelievable job working with us and letting us know.”
The NCAA may have rules on the books regarding eligibility, but those rules have been interpreted differently on a state-by-state basis. As a result, athletes are filing petitions for relief at the state level and are enjoying undeniable success. This has raised serious concerns about competitive balance among institutions, particularly when it comes to roster construction and scholarship planning.
NCAA President Charlie Baker emphasized the need for a unified approach.
“Just as we need Congress to stabilize eligibility, we need federal regulators to stabilize these markets,” Baker said. “The answer cannot be the status quo. We need one set of fair, transparent standards.”
Between the NCAA’s loss of control and states’ uneven interpretation of the rules, federal oversight is becoming inevitable.
The future of college athletics
This is the latest attempt by members of Congress to regulate college athletics, and if the bill gains traction, it could ease the NCAA’s ongoing legal challenges involving college athletes.
These changes could reduce movement in the transfer portal, promoting roster stability rather than continual turnover. By limiting the ability to shop around and use multiple transfer opportunities as leverage, those same changes could help even out the market for player acquisition and relieve pressure on the institutions and their fans.
Tuberville’s proposal is far from becoming law, but it signals a growing shift; college sports reform is no longer just an NCAA issue, it’s a federal one.
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