The world is a crazy place these days. It’s not a surprise to see pretty much anything on the news anymore, even seeing Donald Trump sign an executive order that will affect college athletics isn’t something I would even do a double take on. Nothing is surprising.
That’s exactly what happened on Friday while everyone was mentally preparing for an intriguing Final Four that Michigan State fans will undoubtedly be hate-watching.
It’s an interesting time to announce this executive order, but timing has never been a politician’s strength. He signed an order that would limit the number of free transfers that a player gets and it says that athletes can only play a maximum of five seasons in a five-year window. That part isn’t entirely clear, but to me that sounds like student athletes might be able to get five years now.
Here are some details from the executive order that are worth noting:
President Donald Trump's executive order regulating college sports:
— Underdog (@Underdog) April 3, 2026
- College athletes can only play a maximum of 5 seasons in a 5-year window
- Maximum of one transfer before graduation, otherwise, need to sit a full season
- Schools that violate risk losing federal funding pic.twitter.com/56jfWqGntw
While this sounds like a huge deal, it really means a whole lot of nothing right now because there’s a decent chance that the NCAA will fight back on this and it will get overturned in court. It’s almost likely that happens because the NCAA is not going to roll over and let its rules be manipulated by someone who won’t be in charge in three years.
If it does hold up, however, it could mean that some popular four-year Spartan basketball players could potentially be eligible for a fifth season. In that case, Tom Izzo wouldn’t have to target a transfer center.
If Michigan State got a center the caliber of Jaxon Kohler or Carson Cooper in the transfer portal, they’d be ecstatic. So this executive order might yield good news for the Spartans.
That is if those two would even consider returning for a fifth year.
Plus, the wording of the executive order isn’t entirely clear. It says that players can play a maximum of five seasons, but it doesn’t say if all players can play up to that many years of college ball.
Michigan State fans are probably hopeful that this holds up if it’s the case that Cooper and Kohler could have the option of returning.
Also, the one-time transfer rule actually should be implemented to prevent players from moving every single season. That is one thing I think most of us can get behind.