In a busy week for Princeton Tigers looking into professional sports, several current and former athletes have been embarking on their professional careers.
Women’s soccer junior forward/midfielder Pietra Tordin, former basketball forward Tosan Evbuomwan ’23, former football left tackle Jalen Travis ’24, and former football linebacker Ozzie Nicholas ’24 have all made strides in their respective sports this week.
Pietra punts for pro in Portland
Star soccer athlete Pietra Tordin announced on Jan. 8 that she had signed a professional contract with the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after a very successful junior season with the Tigers. The contract will take her through to the 2026 season, with a player option for 2027 as well.
Tordin has been a standout throughout her time at Princeton, and capped off her college career with a host of accolades and 10 goals to add to her tally, despite missing eight games for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Tordin becomes just the sixth Princeton player to play in the NWSL and will join a team well-placed to make the playoffs. The Portland Thorns have been a literal thorn in the side of many other teams, and on top of an eight-year playoff streak, they won the 2022 NWSL Championship.
Whilst the Princeton team will certainly miss her contributions, it will look forward to seeing her develop on the professional level — a stage she has excelled at with the United States National Team.
Brit bounces onto basketball in Brooklyn
After a year spent with several different rosters, it was announced on Wednesday morning that Tosan Evbuomwan has signed with the Brooklyn Nets on a two-way deal.
Evbuomwan primarily plays as a small forward and, during his time with the Tigers, he won Ivy League Player of the Year in 2022 and was a two-time All-Ivy First Team selection in 2022 and 2023.
The two-way deal he signed means he will be able to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Brooklyn Nets, as well as with their G-League affiliate the Long Island Nets, giving him more game time and opportunity to develop.
Last year, Evbuomwan signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies after they had injury struggles and were allowed more roster spots. But this marks a step-up for the former Tiger, as he now occupies one of Brooklyn’s allocated three two-way roster spots.
So far, the British basketballer has scored 24 points for the Nets across three games and is averaging just under 25 minutes as he gets up to speed again. The NBA is undeniably competitive, but he will be fighting for his place and hoping to stick around.
Travis dares to dream for draft day delight after declaration
Princeton’s former starting left tackle Jalen Travis announced on Instagram that after four seasons with the Tigers and a graduate year with the Iowa State Cyclones, he was declaring for the National Football League (NFL) Draft.
It’s long been expected that Travis would declare, and there was even some potential for his name to be thrown into the hat last year if injuries didn’t plague his season. It’s too far out to start speculating on where he will land specifically or his draft chances in general, but his size — standing at 6’10” — and college experience will give him a leg-up on many others.
During his time at Princeton, Travis was named All-Ivy Second Team twice, and his spell with Iowa State also ended successfully — he was named honorable mention All-Big 12 on the offensive line.
Ozzie Nicholas nips into new chapter nationally
Ozzie Nicholas, like Travis, has also announced that he will be declaring for the NFL Draft in posts on his Instagram account. The former Princeton linebacker played four seasons with the Tigers before spending his extra year of eligibility with the Duke Blue Devils.
Nicholas had an impressive career at Princeton and was a two-time All-Ivy selection, one of which was a unanimous First Team selection in 2023. Nicholas led the Ivy League with 104 tackles and was fourth in the league with 4.5 sacks in his final year.
Nicholas has shown proficiency both as a pass-rusher and in coverage, notching up 100 tackles during his year with the Blue Devils and securing an interception to go along with it. Expect to see him as a late pick or an undrafted free agent.
The NFL Draft takes place in April, but until then, both Nicholas and Travis will likely be preparing themselves for the combine and other workouts that are vital in showing NFL teams what they can do.
Future developments on this piece will include a more in-depth look at each player, their Princeton journey, and their future plans.
Alex Beverton-Smith is a head Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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