Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports reports on Thursday night that President Donald Trump is “convening next Friday a presidential roundtable of more than three-dozen dignitaries and sports celebrities to further explore solutions for the industry’s ills” regarding college sports.
While it’s unclear if all of the invitees will attend the White House roundtable on March 6, the list is loaded with headline-worthy names, including the trio that rounded out Trump’s recent golf foursome: ESPN college football analyst Nick Saban, Fox Sports college football analyst Urban Meyer, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Dellenger reports that Trump will serve as “chair of the roundtable,” while DeSantis and New York Yankees president Randy Levine will be vice chairs.
Invitees include power conference commissioners Tony Petitti (Big Ten), Greg Sankey (SEC), Brett Yormark (Big 12), and Jim Phillips (ACC).
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, golf legend Tiger Woods, college football legend and ESPN analyst Tim Tebow, golf star Bryson DeChambeau, former Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, former college football coach Mack Brown, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, former Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell, and Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman are among the many other invitees.
Dellenger adds that “media executives from Fox and ESPN are also expected to have received an invitation.”
The NIL and transfer portal have shaped the college sports landscape over the last several years, with NCAA eligibility, as well as media rights and coverage, among other topics that generate frequent debate.
In December, Trump said, “I think that [the NIL] is a disaster for college sports.”
“You’re going to have these college wipe themselves out,” Trump added. “Something ought to be done, and I’m willing to put the federal government behind it.”
President Trump: “I think the NIL is a disaster for sports. It’s horrible for the Olympics. I think it’s actually horrible for the players… something ought to be done and I’m willing to put the federal government behind it.” pic.twitter.com/YWDwv2OCs2
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 12, 2025
It was reported last May that Saban would be the co-chair of Trump’s commission to better regulate the compensation of college athletes, but that plan was tabled.
Trump recently appeared on Josh Pate’s College Football Show, in which there was little actual college football discussion. Pate revealed after the 10-minute interview that he expected to speak with Trump for “30 or 40 minutes” about college football topics such as NIL, but noted that the schedule changed “really, really late,” and that Trump appeared to have planned conversations coming about fixing college football in the near future. Perhaps this roundtable is what Trump was referring to.
As Dellenger notes, “Some are skeptical that the meeting will transpire as scheduled,” with the possibility that other presidential responsibilities arise. If it does happen, it will be interesting to see which invitees actually go and what comes of the roundtable in the big picture for college sports.
