Cornell football quarterback Jameson Wang ’25 has officially started his professional football career after signing with the Frankfurt Galaxy — a team based in Germany that competes in the European League of Football.
The contract comes following Wang’s decision to declare for the NFL draft in April and his invitation to the Los Angeles Chargers Rookie Mini Camp in May. Wang will take over as the team’s quarterback following the team’s move to place its starting quarterback Matthew McKay on injury reserve for the rest of the season.
“Getting my first pro contract is definitely a great feeling,” Wang said. “I am super blessed.”
Wang described receiving a call last Wednesday from the team expressing interest in him. He quickly flew to Germany on Sunday. For Wang, the decision to travel to Germany and start his pro career was one he made “with no hesitation”
“For a lot of people, it might be tough for them to just pack their bags and go to another country but for me it’s a no-brainer not only to have the opportunity to play football, but also for the experience of living in Germany,” Wang said.
He also explained that he had “connections” within the league which made him better understand “how the league and team operate.” In addition, Wang hopes going to Germany to play football will be his chance to experience a study abroad program since he was unable to participate in one at Cornell due to the football season’s year-long demands.
The Galaxy are currently 3-4 and midway through the EFL season which started in May, unlike the NFL regular season which starts in September. Wang notes that the EFL and NFL are very similar. He explained that all his teammates and coaches speak English and that many of them are from the United States. Wang also stated that the rules of the game “are pretty much the same” between the two leagues.
Wang is expected to start for the final five games of the Galaxy’s season. Up next, he’ll suit up for Saturday’s game against the Stuttgart Surge — just four days after signing official contract.
“The goal for me is to keep playing football at a high level and to put a good product on tape because that tape the film that will come from these last five games could potentially help me gain attention from the NFL, CFL or UFL,” Wang said. “[I] also want to put good tape out because if I wanna come back to Europe next year, it would help leverage that.”
Wang attributed his success to many different people at Cornell and emphasized that it would “always be his home” and that he would “never forget Cornell.”
“The coaches, not only the ones who recruited me but the ones that were just hired, all my teammates, athletic staff, equipment managers, trainers have all always had my back and have supported me and each played roles in getting me to where I am today,” Wang said. “The faculty and the hotel school were really good too and I am so thankful for the experience I had there.”
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
