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Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall shared some strong advice for collegiate athletes considering an early jump to the professional level while still having NCAA eligibility left. The message came just days after the conclusion of the 2025 NCAA D1 Track and Field Championships, and following Jordan Anthony’s announcement that he would forego the remainder of his college eligibility to turn pro after winning the NCAA men’s 100m title.
Tara Davis-Woodhall had a remarkable collegiate career. She first enrolled at the University of Georgia and later transferred to the University of Texas. At Georgia, she broke the world U20 record in the 60m hurdles and went on to win both the NCAA indoor and outdoor long jump titles in 2021 while at Texas.
On Sunday, June 16, Davis-Woodhall urged collegiate athletes not to turn pro early if they still have eligibility left, citing better financial support and stability in the collegiate system.
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“If you collegiate athletes are thinking about going pro and have more eligibility left… don’t go pro! Stay in college. You’ll get paid more being in college than pro… being a pro athlete isn’t always glitz and glamor… you have to take care of everything yourself… and pay hella people just to get you to point A to B,” Davis-Woodhall posted via threads.
Through NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rules, collegiate athletes today can earn substantial income through brand partnerships and endorsements, often more than they would immediately earn as professionals, especially in track and field, where prize money and sponsorships are limited.
The new NCAA rule, starting July 1, 2025, allows schools to directly pay athletes up to $20.5 million under the updated NIL policy, marking a major step toward revenue sharing in college sports.
Tara Davis-Woodhall’s husband shares struggles they faced in her early career
Tara Davis-Woodhall’s husband, Hunter Woodhall, spoke about the struggles they faced in the early stages of her professional career, particularly with regard to getting invitations to Diamond League meets, even when they offered to self-fund travel and lodging:
“Tara, 20, the first year out of college, we couldn't even get her in a Diamond League. They said no. They wouldn't even let her come to the meet. We said—I swear to God—we said, 'we'll pay our way to the meet, you don’t have to pay for our travel, and you don’t have to pay for our hotel. We will get there, just let us compete,' and they said no. We were fighting to even be let into the sport,” Hunter Woodhall said (28:13 onwards).
Tara Davis-Woodhall clinched her first Diamond League title in 2024. She recently competed at the Stockholm BAUHAUS-galan on June 15, 2025, and recorded a personal best of 7.05m, outpacing Larissa Lapichino and Jasmine Moore. Notably, the 26-year-old is a two-time Olympian and earned her first gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
