In the wake of a historic shift in NCAA athletics, Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall is urging student-athletes to rethink the long-held dream of turning pro early.
Her message comes as the collegiate sports world adjusts to a monumental $2.8 billion class-action settlement and the new era of direct athlete compensation.
On June 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval to a landmark deal, awarding billions in damages to former college athletes from 2016 to 2024 and opening the door for Division I schools to pay current student-athletes directly, starting with a $20.5 million cap per school in 2025–26.
Taking to Instagram that day, Davis-Woodhall posted the headline with the caption.
“The only time I wish I was in college still,” adding a cheeky, “Y’all are welcome btw 🙄.”
Behind the lighthearted jab, someone who’s seen both sides of athletics shared hard-won wisdom.
Fast forward to June 17, 2025, and Davis-Woodhall shifted from humor to a serious warning. On her Threads account, she advised collegiate athletes considering an early pro leap to stay in school.
“If you collegiate athletes are thinking about going pro and have more eligibility left… don’t go pro! Stay in college. “College pays more than pro sports—glitz fades, you handle everything, and pay tons just to travel,” she wrote.
The cautionary message hits close to home for Davis-Woodhall, whose own journey from NCAA standout to Olympic champion was far from smooth. Despite being one of America’s top long jump prospects, she struggled to land Diamond League invites after turning pro in 2020. Meet organizers declined even self-funded travel offers, dismissing her for lacking an agent and major medals.
But the tables have turned. On June 15, 2025, Davis-Woodhall made a triumphant Diamond League debut at Stockholm’s BAUHAUS-galan, soaring to a personal best 7.05 meters to claim victory.
The Financial Struggles of a Collegiate Athlete
That hard-earned success came after years of financial and regulatory hurdles in college athletics. Davis-Woodhall missed the 2018–19 season after transferring from Georgia to Texas, losing competition and financial opportunities. At the time, NCAA policy mandated athletes switching schools lose a year of eligibility.
“The coach barred me from competing for a year, claiming I was ‘too good of an athlete,’” she tweeted in 2024.
Even off the field, Davis-Woodhall and her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall, faced financial restrictions. Before the 2021 NCAA NIL policy, the couple couldn’t monetize their huge social media followings.
“We missed out on A LOT of money,” Davis-Woodhall admitted in a Citius Mag podcast.
“The number of times that we emailed back ‘no’… We’d debate: “Should we do it? Not worth it.”
With NIL rights allowing school payments, Davis-Woodhall urges young athletes to weigh their options carefully. Her success in sports proves talent isn’t enough—it takes strategy, patience, and often, waiting.