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- Trump Executive Order on College Sports Unlikely to Move the Needle
Trump Executive Order on College Sports Unlikely to Move the Needle
Might instead kindle new legal challenges


JULY 28, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
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🥱 The Day After the Weekend.
🗞️ In Today’s Edition. Trump’s Executive Order unlikely to move needle. Billy Wagner’s journey from DIII to Hall of Fame. College has made significant cuts but financial future still murky. New rules-editors. From president to lieutenant governor?
TOP STORY
1. Trump Executive Order on College Sports Unlikely to Move the Needle

by Michael McCann, Sportico
“President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order that is designed to stabilize the business and law of college sports but might instead kindle new legal challenges.
The order adopts the viewpoint that big-time college sports has morphed into an unworkable, volatile and overly litigious framework. The order negatively references unlimited transfers, the prospect of college athletes gaining employment recognition and a “chaotic race to the bottom” with states opportunistically using NIL laws to supply “competitive advantages” to their universities.”
» Situational Awareness. “The order provides several specific requests. They include agency actions within 60 or 120 days and, as clarified by an accompanying White House fact sheet, “prohibits third-party, pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes.” If that prohibition sounds familiar, it’s because it’s already an NCAA rule that has not changed even with recent litigation. State NIL statutes also do not authorize pay-for-play, meaning the executive order prohibits something already prohibited.”
» Yes, But. “For the most part, however, the order is aspirational and refrains from enunciating policy positions. Notably absent are specific declarations that the NCAA and its members ought to be exempt from antitrust scrutiny or that college athletes aren’t employees.”
» Be Smart. “Even assuming an agency declaration that college athletes aren’t employees withstood judicial review, it wouldn’t foreclose the possibility of athletes being recognized as employees under states’ laws. There are labor and employment laws in all 50 states, and they vary.”
ALUMNI
2. From Division III to Cooperstown

Billy Wagner
by Corbin McGuire, NCAA
“Billy Wagner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last weekend — a moment more than 30 years in the making, but one that traces back to a small college in the hills of southwest Virginia.
The bright lights of Cooperstown feel worlds away from Ferrum, a Division III school in his home state. But the school offered Wagner exactly what he needed.
"I was undersized, so I wasn't a very sought-after commodity," Wagner said. "But Ferrum was the place I landed. It ended up being a really good fit for me."
» Why It Matters. “That "fit" turned into three dominant seasons and a transformation that launched one of the most electric arms baseball has ever seen. That arm went on to produce 422 career saves in the majors, eighth most in MLB history and second among left-handed pitchers, across 16 seasons. Wagner played for the Houston Astros (1995-2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004-05), New York Mets (2006-09), Boston Red Sox (2009) and Atlanta Braves (2010). He was a seven-time All-Star and one of only a handful of relievers to finish his career with more strikeouts (1,196) than innings pitched (903). He's the first left-handed relief pitcher to earn a Hall of Fame induction and the first baseball player from a Division III school to do so.”
» Between The Lines. “At Ferrum, Wagner set NCAA Division III records for strikeouts per nine innings (19.1 in 1992) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (1.58 in 1992). He finished with a 17-3 record, a 1.63 ERA and 327 strikeouts in just 182.1 innings. By 1993, he was a first-team All-American — and a first-round MLB draft pick. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.”
» Quotable. "Going through this, it's just been a buildup — a celebration of sacrifices that so many people gave for me to get to where I wanted to be. It's more of a celebration of a lot of the guys, of Division III, of the state of Virginia. There was so much to be proud of because it took a village to get me to this point, and I'm just happy that there was so much support and people for me," Wagner said.
FINANCES
3. Albright’s Financial Future Is Still Murky

by Amanda Fries, Spotlight PA
“Albright College says it ended its recent fiscal year with a more than $10 million surplus, zeroing out its deficit by slashing operational costs, eliminating half of its full-time staff, and selling unused property and other assets.
Still, experts warn that windfall does not guarantee long-term financial health, since much of the revenue was raised using one-time maneuvers. The numbers presented by the liberal arts college are also not audited, meaning they haven't been reviewed by a third party and could be unreliable.”
» Why It Matters. “Albright’s financial struggles are not unique. It is one of several small colleges or universities in Pennsylvania grappling with major challenges due to declining enrollment, an issue facing higher education nationwide.”
» Reality Check. “Higher education experts, however, say it’s difficult to turn around a college by cutting expenses alone. Successful recoveries require “multiple points of entry” to generate revenue, said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities.”
» Worth Noting. “To attract and retain students, Albright has announced new athletic and curricular programs, including men’s and women’s wrestling and an NCAA DIII stunt program. Albright administrators say the college is known for its athletics. “They always talk about how important athletics were to the campus experience and the student life experience of the college,” Larry Bomback, interim chief financial officer and vice president of finance, said of alumni he’s spoken with over the decades.”
NEWS YOU CAN USE
4. Lightning Round ⚡️
» Gifts. Late women’s basketball coach Jerry Scheve bequeathed $23 million to Wilmington College - the largest gift in institutional history - that will “impact every sports program with positive implications for recruitment, retention and operations.”
» Lacrosse. Laura Hebert, the NCAA women's lacrosse national coordinator of officials from 2019 to 2021, was named the NCAA secretary-rules editor for women's lacrosse. Hebert will officially begin her eight-year term Sept. 1, 2026. PROP also approved the hiring of David Seidman as the NCAA secretary-rules editor for men's lacrosse. Seidman begins an eight-year term Sept. 1, 2026.
» Presidents. New Jersey Democratic candidate for governor Mikie Sherrill has selected Centenary College President Dale Caldwell as her running mate.
TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings
BETHANY - Lexi Buck named head softball coach
BROCKPORT - Devin Maxwell named assistant director of athletic communications
CCNY - Joseph Benson named head cross country/track and field coach
CONCORDIA (Texas) - Gabe Palomares named head esports coach
GENESEO - Rosie Phillips named head softball coach
GETTYSBURG - Troy Dell named executive director of athletics
GUILFORD - Will Thomsen named interim head men’s soccer coach
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS - Melissa Lee named assistant athletic director and SWA
HIRAM - Macy Roell named interim head women’s volleyball coach
ILLINOIS COLLEGE - Mark Grounds named head women’s flag football coach
MAINE MARITIME - Jeremy Pease named head men’s golf coach
MARYVILLE - Jill Moore resigned as head softball coach to accept assistant position at Delaware
MESSIAH - Jerry Standford named head men’s lacrosse coach
MUSKINGUM - Adam Biehl named head strength and conditioning coach
NCAA - Bryn Mangold named assistant director of DIII governance
NEW JERSEY CITY - Andrés Acebo named president
OLD WESTBURY - Betty Bohringer announced her retirement as head women’s soccer coach
PENN COLLEGE - Angie Stackhouse resigned as head softball coach to accept head position at Bucknell
PRINCIPIA - Nick Barron stepped down as head cross country/track and field coach. Justin Halley named head cross country coach
ST. JOHN FISHER - Jennifer Granger named director of athletics
SALEM STATE - Ariana Moran named assistant athletic director for sports medicine
SKYLINE CONFERENCE - Jackie Rogers named associate commissioner
SUNY POLY - Patrick Hanlon named athletic performance coach
STEVENSON - Clarke Nyman stepped down as head swimming coach
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN - Jacob Balot named head cross country coach
WENTWORTH - Jason Chornyei named head men’s basketball coach
1 THING
6. Be Curious
“Ted Lasso, stealing a line he (and many others) wrongly attributed to Walt Whitman, nailed an antidote to the things driving us crazy: "Be curious, not judgmental."
Why It Matters: Those four words can radically shift how you think and feel about politics, social media posts, your employer, and even friends and family.”
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