A new partnership between the NCAA and the FBI is drawing attention to the growing online risks facing college athletes. On August 10, the two organizations announced a joint effort to protect athletes from cyber-enabled s**ual exploitation and s**tortion, with the focus on helping athletes recognize online threats and protect their personal information. Former FBI special agent and CIA officer Tracy Schandler Walder explained why the partnership matters.

On August 18, Walder raised concerns about similar risks facing younger athletes. Walder said the FBI and NCAA are working together to “close the gap” after the FBI identified cyber-enabled s**ual exploitation schemes targeting NCAA athletes. She explained that athletes can become targets because their public profiles often include personal details such as their photos, age, hometown, sport, and sometimes their college major.

“These bad actors are using the images and likeness of some of these NCAA athletes,” Walder said. She noted that criminals can use those details in s**ual exploitation schemes. Walder also highlighted how criminals may try to gain access to athletes’ accounts and devices.

One tactic involves sending unsolicited text messages claiming that an account will be disabled unless the athlete resets a PIN or takes another urgent action. “A verified source is never going to send you an unsolicited message” asking for a PIN reset if the athlete never requested one, Walder explained. According to her, these messages can be used to gain access to an individual’s phone, photographs, and other personal information.

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That is why she believes athletes need to be more careful when dealing with unexpected requests, even when a message appears to come from a legitimate source. Walder also believes the concern extends beyond college sports. She said the same risks can affect high school athletes and children who have public sports profiles containing their photographs, schools, and other personal information.

“My daughter’s an athlete,” Walder said, explaining that she does not maintain an Instagram page for her daughter’s sport. She acknowledged that parents often hear that social media is needed for college recruiting, but questioned whether younger athletes should have to place so much personal information on public pages.

If public profiles are needed for college recruiting, Walder argued, there should also be discussions with colleges about why the process may create safety concerns for young athletes. She welcomed the FBI-NCAA partnership, particularly because s**tortion and s**ual exploitation can have serious effects on victims. Walder pointed to the impact these cases can have on the mental health of both young adults and children.

The partnership does not mean the FBI will monitor athletes’ phones or that the NCAA is introducing a new social media rule. Rather, it’s about education, prevention, and informing athletes about how these schemes can operate and where athletes can get help. But the FBI-NCAA partnership is not the only major change to come recently in college sports.

NCAA introduces new age-based eligibility model

The new age-based eligibility model was presented on June 23, 2026, and implemented as emergency legislation by the NCAA Division I Cabinet on June 24, 2026. The regulation officially came into force on 1st August 2026. The most significant one is that Division I is moving away from the four-season competition system in five years.

Under the new model, eligible athletes generally have a five-year eligibility period based on their age and when they first enroll in college. However, the change does not mean every athlete automatically receives five full years. The NCAA has made clear that the amount of eligibility depends on an athlete’s age and enrollment history. Calling it a simple “5-for-5” rule can also be misleading.

The new model also removes several parts of the previous system, including traditional athletic redshirts and seasons-of-competition limits. Several delayed-enrollment rules, sport-specific enrollment timelines and eligibility waiver categories have also been replaced. For athletes already in college, the transition is more complicated.