STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook University football alumnus Ray Bolden was selected by the Michigan Panthers in the Inaugural United States Football League (USFL) Draft on Wednesday. The Panthers drafted Bolden with the third pick in the 16
th round of the Inaugural Draft.
The wide receiver was one of nine former CAA student-athletes to hear their names called in the draft. Bolden was the only Stony Brook alumnus selected and became the first student-athlete in program history to be picked in the USFL draft.
Bolden had a decorated career on Long Island as he totaled 2,081 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 32 games from 2015-17. The Euless, Texas native was a three-time All-CAA selection and helped lead the Seawolves to a berth in the 2017 NCAA FCS Playoffs.
During the 2017 season, he caught 66 passes for 780 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. Bolden recorded over 100 receiving yards on four separate occasions that year and registered a career-high 136 yards at Delaware on October 7, 2017.
Following his collegiate career, he participated in the Philadelphia Eagles' minicamp in 2018. In 2020, Bolden earned a spot on the Houston Roughnecks' roster of the XFL before the league folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The USFL, which ceased operations in 1986, returns in April. Eight teams in the new USFL will be split into North and South Divisions. Each team plays a 10-game schedule, with teams in the same division playing each other twice and teams in the other division once.
The top two teams in each division will play against each other in the semifinals followed a week later by the championship game. All regular season games will be played in Birmingham, Ala., with the championship game set for Canton, Ohio.
The 35-round USFL Draft went by position, with quarterbacks going in the first round, followed by edge rushers/defensive ends in Rounds 2-4, offensive tackles in Rounds 5-7, cornerbacks in Rounds 8-11 before returning to quarterbacks in Round 12 to close out Tuesday. On Wednesday, the draft continued with the selection of wide receivers (Rounds 13-17), safeties (Rounds 18-19), centers (Round 20), inside linebackers (Round 21), offensive guards (Rounds 22-23), defensive tackles (Rounds 24-26), running backs (Rounds 27-28), outside linebackers (Rounds 29-31), kickers (Round 32), punters (Round 33), tight ends/H-backs (Round 34) and long snappers (Round 35).
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