Florida And Alabama Lawmakers Pitch 5-Year Limit, Transfer Penalties To Overhaul College Sports
U.S. lawmakers are stepping into the ongoing debate over college sports with a new proposal that would limit how long athletes can play and how often they can switch schools.
Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, and Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, have introduced the Student Athlete Act of 2026. The legislation is designed to create a single national standard for college sports eligibility, replacing a current mix of varying state laws and court decisions.
The core of the bill gives college athletes five consecutive years to compete. It also sets firm boundaries around the transfer portal. Under the proposed rules, a student can transfer to a different school once without facing any penalties. If they decide to transfer a second time, they will be required to sit out for an entire sports season.
To protect students, the legislation requires universities to honor their existing scholarship agreements. By creating a national framework, the bill would override individual state laws that currently govern college athletics and recruiting.
Both lawmakers argued that the current system has lost sight of academics and heavily favors older players over incoming freshmen.
“College athletics should be about earning a degree and competing on the field, not navigating a confusing patchwork of eligibility rules,” Steube said. He noted that high school recruits are losing roster spots because programs are prioritizing older transfer students instead. “The current system is unsustainable. The Student Athlete Act puts the focus back where it belongs: in the classroom and in competition.”
Tuberville echoed those concerns, pointing out that athletes are finding ways to stretch their college careers well beyond the traditional timeline.
“College athletics used to be about education, now it’s sadly all about making money,” Tuberville said. “We can’t be having 25-year-old ‘students’ who graduated three years ago still competing in the NCAA. With my bill, a student-athlete gets five years to get their education, compete, and then move on.”
Tuberville added that constant transferring makes it difficult for athletes to actually get a good education, though he noted he supports players having the ability to earn money.
The introduction of the bill comes at a time of heavy transition for the NCAA. Over the last few years, athletes have increasingly turned to lawsuits and waivers to extend their playing careers. At the same time, the transfer portal has completely changed how coaches build their rosters, with some players jumping between multiple schools.
Recently, the NCAA suggested its own “5-for-5” framework, which would also give athletes five seasons of play over a five-year period to help stabilize college rosters across the country.