Shane Beamer endorses Nick Saban as co-chair of President Donald Trump commission on college sports

A week after Nick Saban introduced President Donald Trump at an Alabama commencement event, On3’s Pete Nakos reported the legendary coach would be part of a commission on college sports. Saban is expected to be a co-chair of the commission, along with Texas Tech Board of Regents chairman Cody Campbell.

Speaking with reporters this week, Shane Beamer expressed his support for Saban’s involvement. The South Carolina coach endorsed Trump’s expected decision to name him co-chair.

Beamer pointed out Saban’s stature in college football as one of the greatest to ever roam the sidelines and how that translates to the future of the game. While he didn’t know many specifics about Trump’s commission on college sports, Beamer said Saban would be one of his first calls about changing the current landscape.

“I don’t know enough about it. I think if you’re looking for anyone to spearhead change or be in a leadership position when it comes to college football going forward, he’s the first person that would come to mind from my standpoint,” Beamer said on the “Welcome Home Tour” in Greenville. “I know a lot of people would say the same. Don’t know enough about it, but all for it.”

Yahoo Sports first reported Trump’s plans to form a commission focused on college sports. The Athletic also added the president will be “very engaged” because of the national importance he sees in college athletics.

More on the commission on college sports

Cody Campbell was a co-founder of the Texas Tech-focused NIL collective, The Matador Club, in February 2022 and was the main financial source of Texas Tech’s top-ranked transfer portal class this cycle. He also sold his company, Double Eagle, to Diamondback Energy for $4.1 billion in cash and stock in February. Campbell took over as chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents on April 14.

The commission on college sports 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, the application of Title IX to school revenue-share payments and, even, conference membership makeup and conference television contracts,” according to Yahoo Sports. It is expected to be a months-long endeavor.

Trump is also reportedly considering an executive order which would create more scrutiny around NIL, according to the Wall Street Journal. That news came down after the president and Nick Saban met ahead of last week’s commencement address.

News of Trump’s plan to consider an executive order and form a commission come with the backdrop of the House v. NCAA settlement, which continues to go through the final approval process. Attorneys filed an updated brief Wednesday evening that sought to address Judge Claudia Wilken’s concerns about roster limits, and the plan would create a grandfather provision for athletes who lost their spots. A decision on final approval is expected in the coming weeks.