Congress takes aim at transfer portal with new college sports bill
Bipartisan Senate bill would limit transfers, cap revenue sharing, and create athlete medical fund
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - A bipartisan Senate bill that would place federal guardrails on college athletics for the first time is expected to come to a vote this week, before lawmakers leave for recess Friday.
The Protect College Sports Act of 2026 would limit players to one transfer before sitting out a year and cap how much schools can share in revenue with athletes. Troy University football lost its leading rusher, top receiver, and a starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal in a single season.
Just this week, the SEC and Big Ten — two of the most powerful conferences in college sports — announced they are backing the legislation.
Local sports media personality Lance Griffin said the timing hits close to home for Troy fans.
“They’ve seen so many roster changes over the past couple of years. And that’s just the nature of the business now. Hopefully they’re trying to do something about that at the federal level. But there’s so many newcomers, it’s kind of hard to really think about how this team is going to be this year,” Griffin said.
The bill would also guarantee athletes a 10-year scholarship and create a $60 million annual trust fund for athlete medical coverage.
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week, before lawmakers leave for recess Friday.
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