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At the end of some college football players' careers, they make long declarations, giving thanks to those who supported them throughout their journeys up to that point. And with some players, the NFL Draft is their next stop. However, not every player makes it to the NFL Draft, like Washington football linebacker Drew Fowler.
Following Washington's 35-34 loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl, Fowler took to social media and gave his parting words. Leaving football behind, Fowler was entering the post-college workforce.
“When I first committed here in 2019 I talked about taking ‘the road less traveled,' ” Fowler wrote, beginning his viral declaration. “Boy, did I have any idea what that would truly mean. Playing through 4 Head Coaches, 3 Athletic Directors, 4 Coordinators, and a global pandemic, my experience at UW has been nothing short of special.
“To all of my coaches, from Coach Pete to Coach Fisch, from BG to Bala, Pao, Creighton, Inge, Socha, Mac, and everyone in between: thank you for putting your time, wisdom, and effort into me and this program. Thank you for all of the lessons learned.
“To all of the support staff, from academic advisors, athletic training, video, EQ, creative, and everybody I can't possibly individually name: thank you for all of your sacrifice and hard work that too often goes unrecognized, I hope you know how greatly you are appreciated.
“Lastly, to my teammates. I know none of you guys read all of this. I love & appreciate you all. My brothers for life.
With that being said, I'm officially declaring for the job market. In other words, I need a job. If you or anybody you know has an employment opportunity, I am your guy. Gritty, hardworking, sneaky athletic, locker room guy, will bring my lunch pail to work.
“My LinkedIn is updated, and I am #OpenToWork. Thank you Husky Nation.”
Forever blessed to be a Dawg 4 Life 🐺💜 pic.twitter.com/uQkyhTVJF8
— Drew Fowler (@drewfowler44) January 3, 2025
As a player who didn't see the field much, Fowler's playing career concluded following Washington's last game of the season.
Washington football LB Drew Fowler proves wild NFL Draft statistic
Considering the minuscule chances that Washington's linebacker would get his name announced in the 2025 NFL Draft, he decided to take his talents to the workforce.
In 2016, Ohio State University College of Public Health conducted a study on the likelihood of going pro in the NFL.
Their findings showed that over one million high school athletes attempted to play college football in 2016. Of that approximate one million participants, just over 73,000 athletes made it— or roughly 7% of those within the sample.
Breaking that down even further, only approximately 16,000 of the 73,000 college football players were eligible for the NFL Draft— or roughly 22% of participants.
Lastly, of the over one million high school athletes who pursued the NFL Draft, just 251 made it pro. Putting that numerically, 0.0023% of those who attempted were successful in their goal of being drafted into the NFL.
So, while some laugh at Fowler's declaration, his reality is the same as many other college football athletes following the final game of their senior season.
His declaration was a really jovial way to go about retiring from football, though.
