Female football players navigate NWSL futures without college draft
Changes aim to give student athletes greater control over the start of their careers
North Carolina's Isabel Coxs and UCLA's Quincy McMahon battle for a ball during the second half of the NCAA women's football tournament final in Cary, North Carolina, December 5, 2022
FORMER UCLA defender Quincy McMahon was excited to launch her professional football career with choices about where she’d land.
McMahon was among the first college players to navigate a transition to the NWSL this coming season in the absence of a college draft as she signed with the San Diego Wave.
The NWSL became the first major pro sports league in the United States to eliminate the draft last year as part of its collective bargaining agreement with players. While many college players in years past prepared at this time of year for a January draft, now they’re on the open market.
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