President Donald Trump is set to host a college sports roundtable at the White House on Friday, March 6.
Outkick first reported last week that the White House was planning to hold an event discussing the future of college sports, aiming to “navigate the current landscape of college athletics that is currently mired in plenty of controversy,” with invitations to some of the biggest names and executives surrounding NCAA athletics.
Trump signed an executive order in 2025 with the goal of “protecting men’s and women’s college sports programs,” saying his administration would work to “provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes, collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, and the special American institution of college sports,” per The Hill.
Now, the roundtable is set to include discussion on a number of key collegiate sports topics, including NIL.
Here’s what to know about Donald Trump’s college sports roundtable being held at the White House on Friday.
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What is Donald Trump’s college sports roundtable about?
After initial reports that the roundtable was considered “50-50 at best” to be held, On3 reported Thursday that the college sports discussion at the White House remains scheduled.
Trump will be serving as chair of the roundtable, per On3, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York Yankees president Randy Levine being vice chairs.
Here are some of the expected topics for the college sports roundtable.
NIL
Given the prominence of NIL and the many legal issues it has brought to the college sports space, it is expected to be one of the main topics of the roundtable.
Many lawmakers have shared concern with the college sports landscape and how Name, Image and Likeness deals for athletes at top schools have affected it. In 2025, Trump signed an executive order setting new restrictions on payments to college athletes, which prohibits them from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources. NIL payments were not restricted.
According to On3, the transfer portal will be one aspect expected to be addressed in the roundtable.
Collective bargaining
Another expected topic at the roundtable, according to Fox, is collective bargaining. As ESPN reported in December 2025, collective bargaining with players has come under consideration after once being “unthinkable” by athletic directors, as they seek to bring stability to the college sports industry and provide an enforceable framework of rules and structure.
Without an antitrust exemption in the aftermath of the House Settlement and the formation of the College Sports Commission, the enforcement of rules has remained limited. Players would need to be considered employees to negotiate a legally binding deal, but the NCAA has long been opposed to athletes becoming employees.
At the very least, however, the idea remains under consideration, and it’s one expected to be discussed in the roundtable.
Government involvement in college sports
Finally, the role of the government in enforcing college sports rules is expected to be addressed. With the NCAA facing new lawsuits almost weekly over the past few years, calls for government intervention have increased.
Government involvement has already been increasing in the college sports space, from Trump’s 2025 executive order to the House vs. NCAA settlement, which permitted schools to start directly sharing roughly $20 million annually with athletes.
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Donald Trump college sports executive order
In July 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that aimed to set new restrictions on payments to college athletes.
It prohibited athletes from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources, but did not restrict NIL payments from third-party sources. The order came in the aftermath of the House settlement, with universities being able to pay players directly.
“The Order provides that any revenue-sharing permitted between universities and collegiate athletes should be implemented in a manner that protects women’s and non-revenue sports,” the order stated. “The Order requires the preservation and, where possible, expansion of opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports.”
What is the SCORE Act?
The SCORE Act has aimed to regulate name, image, and likeness deals; per Fox News, it would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption “in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools.” It would also prohibits schools from” using student fees to fund NIL payments.”
“Specifically, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from restricting the ability of a student athlete to enter an NIL agreement,” the act states. “The bill also requires institutions of higher education that generate $20 million or more in annual revenue from the institution’s intercollegiate athletics activities to (1) provide counseling and medical benefits to student athletes, and (2) establish and maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams.”
In December, a House vote on the SCORE Act was canceled before it was set to be brought to the floor. The White House had endorsed the act, and there were three Republicans who joined Democrats in opposition to the bill, per Fox News.
Donald Trump college sports meeting guest list
Here are some of the names who were reportedly invited to the college sports roundtable.
Nick Saban
Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban was one big name invited to the roundtable, per Outkick. On3 included Saban on its list of invited names on Thursday, but it is unclear is he’s officially attending.
According to Outkick, Trump has partially “relied on” Saban for advice on “ways to fix current problems plaguing college athletics.”
Adam Silver
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was another key figure invited to the roundtable, per Outkick, which included him as a name who will be attending. On3 reported Thursday that Silver is expected to attend.
Silver has been combatting topics like tanking within the NBA lately, but given the NBA’s connection to NCAA basketball, he will also be at the college sports roundtable.
Charlie Baker
NCAA President Charlie Baker is expected to be in attendance for the roundtable, per Outkick.
Tony Petitti, Greg Sankey, other commissioners
There will be Power-4 conference commissioners attending, including the Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, per Outkick. Additionally, there will be university presidents and chancellors in attendance.
According to On3, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Petitti, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and American commissioner Tim Pernetti are all expected to attend.
Tiger Woods
Per On3, star golfer Tiger Woods is one big-name athlete who is expected to be in attendance for the roundtable.
Others
Here was On3’s list of other expected attendees as of Thursday:
- Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell
- Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Additionally, the following names were reportedly invited:
- Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer
- CEO of the USA Olympic Committee Sarah Hirshland
- Former North Carolina head coach Mack Brown
- Former Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward
- Former Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione
- Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua
- Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard
- Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson
- Clemson president Jim Clements
- Nebraska president Jeff Gold
- Tennessee president Donde Plowman
- Utah president Taylor Randall
- Georgia president Jere Morehead
- ESPN and Fox executives
Per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, Tim Tebow and Bryson DeChambeau are unable to attend the roundtable.