Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban praised President Donald Trump’s new executive order as a key step in safeguarding the purity left in college sports.
Trump signed the “Saving College Sports” order on Thursday to restrict third-party pay-for-play deals and strengthen non-revenue sports.
Appearing Friday on “Fox & Friends,” Saban said Trump’s move supports the “educational model” that college sports were built on.
“I think President Trump’s executive order takes a huge step,” Saban said.
He added that college athletics should focus on “development as people, students, and develop careers and develop professionally.”
Saban warned that without limits, universities would become essentially “sponsors” of professional teams.
The legendary coach also criticized “collectives that raise money that pay players” without legitimate marketing roles.
“That’s where it becomes pay-for-play,” Saban said.
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Trump’s order aims to eliminate these third-party deals while protecting scholarships and women’s sports.
It noted that “college sports are a uniquely American institution” and provide over $4 billion in scholarships annually.
The order also highlighted the chaos unleashed by litigation and state laws that dismantled NCAA guardrails.
Some players now earn millions annually, with projections showing the paydays getting bigger.
The “bidding wars” siphon money from other non-revenue sports, the order said.
Trump’s policy declares that “pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes are improper and should not be permitted.”
Will Nick Saban ever return to coaching? He reveals why he considered it two days ago! pic.twitter.com/j7YpGb2XVc
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) July 25, 2025
Universities with large revenues must increase or maintain scholarships in non-revenue sports under Trump’s order.
“It is the policy of my Administration that all college sports should be preserved and, where possible, expanded,” the order said.
“My Administration will therefore provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes, collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, and the special American institution of college sports,” the document continued.
“It is common sense that college sports are not, and should not be, professional sports, and my Administration will take action accordingly.”
The Trump administration also plans to pursue legal strategies to protect college athletics from further lawsuits.
Saban backed these efforts to keep sports available for all athletes, not just the highest-paid stars.
“I’m for keeping all the sports that we have,” he said.
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