Nick Saban Reportedly Will Be Co-Chair of Presidential Commission on College Sports

Former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban will reportedly be a co-chair on the reported commission on college athletics created by President Donald Trump, per Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports broke news on the commission Wednesday, noting the issues the group plans to review and address.

"The commission is expected to deeply examine the unwieldy landscape of college sports, including the frequency of player movement in the transfer portal, the unregulated booster compensation paid to athletes, the debate of college athlete employment, preserving the Olympic sport structure, the application of Title IX to school revenue-share payments and, even, conference membership makeup and conference television contracts, those with knowledge of the commission told Yahoo Sports."

The commission will also be led by Cody Campbell, the co-chief executive officer and co-founder of Double Eagle Energy Holdings, per Dellenger.

Saban previously spoke with President Trump on Thursday after he delivered an address at a special commencement ceremony, per Josh Dawsey, Rachel Bachman and Laine Higgins of Wall Street Journal. Of note, Saban expressed his concern about NIL (name, image and likeness) and its effect on college sports.

"Trump said he agreed with Saban and would look at crafting an executive order, people familiar with the meeting said. Trump told aides to begin studying what an order could say, the people said.  

"Saban didn’t propose ending NIL but 'reforming' it, according to a person with direct knowledge of the meeting. He described how it was causing an uneven playing field, the people said, with an arms race among powerhouse schools."

The Athletic noted that Trump was expected to be "very engaged" in the commission. As for what the commission can do, The Athletic added more information on that front:

"A presidential commission would typically dig into various aspects of an issue or enterprise and deliver a report suggesting possible solutions that could involve executive and legislative action."

The 73-year-old Saban won seven national titles in college (one at LSU, six at Alabama). The College Football Hall of Famer, who now works as an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, finished his career with a 292-71-1 record, including 201-29 at Alabama.