The landscape of collegiate sports has shifted drastically since athletes started being able to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness in 2021. But on Thursday, the landscape of NIL in college sports as we currently know it shifted once again thanks to an executive order signed by Donald Trump.
Trump has worked closely alongside former college football coaches Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville in recent months amidst their pleas to “reform” NIL payments in college sports.
It seems like Trump heard the pleas from Saban and Tuberville crystal clear, officiating signing the executive order that prohibits third-party, pay-for-play payments to athletes, which was first reported by On3 Sports. Players will still be able to receive compensation from third parties for things like brand endorsements.
Naturally, there were plenty who took notice of this news and took to social media to share their thoughts on the matter, with reactions from the vast majority of college sports fans largely being mixed.
This is only the beginning of why we’ll see more massive changes to the sport we love. @POTUS loves it too 👍🏈🎧🎙️ https://t.co/usxdceC8j4
— Tim Brando (@TimBrando) July 24, 2025
They love capitalism until they see people they don’t like getting money https://t.co/tHpdKjhrBx
— kyle (@knicks_tape99) July 24, 2025
You can’t just wave an executive order like a magic wand to make anything you don’t like disappear. https://t.co/UrakCj688c
— Mike Stanton (@projomike) July 25, 2025
He has a pretty remarkable ability to insert himself into things that don’t matter in an effort to distract #PoliticalCorner https://t.co/v7xuFIhcmn
— Mr. Corner (@WolverineCorner) July 24, 2025
It’s still unclear how this will ultimately affect college sports for years to come, which will depend on how the executive order, if it holds up, goes about determining what third-party compensation includes.
Either way, this news certainly adds to the uncertain times that are quite clear hear to stay in college sports.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.