At a time of turmoil for American college sports, Cody Campbell has emerged as one of the key figures in the debate over the future of college competitions. According to ‘USA Today’, Campbell, chairman of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and a successful businessman, has been tapped by Donald Trump‘s inner circle to analyze and propose solutions to the crisis facing the current model, especially in college football.
Campbell, a former Texas Tech Red Raiders player with a business track record totaling $15 billion in transactions, has held direct talks with President Trump about the situation in college sports in recent years. The goal is to preserve not only football, but also women’s and Olympic competitions, which have been threatened by changes in the system and the concentration of resources in large conferences such as the Big Ten and the SEC.
Commitment to a new revenue distribution
The Texas businessman has been in the spotlight both for his role as a patron—through the Texas Tech Matador Club—and for his vision of the need to reform the system. In the last year, Campbell and his group of donors have invested more than $300 million in infrastructure and $55 million in NIL contracts for Texas Tech athletes, figures that far exceed the national average.
The current system, marked by the emergence of NIL contracts and player transfers, has created a gap between the major conferences and other universities. Campbell advocates the creation of a joint television rights model for the four major conferences, inspired by the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which would increase revenue and distribute it more equitably.
The role of the White House and legislative pressure
According to sources cited by USA Today, Trump’s strategy is to appoint an official who reports directly to him, without creating a formal commission. Campbell has confirmed his involvement in the process and stressed the importance of protecting the opportunities that college competitions offer to hundreds of thousands of students.
The sustainability of this model is in question, and several donors consulted by USA Today acknowledge that the return on investment is increasingly uncertain and that the system needs new limits and regulations to avoid an unsustainable spiral of spending.
