Former Florida State Defensive Back selected in 2023 USFL Draft

The former Seminole will get a shot at a professional career - one way or another.

Potential NFL Draft picks across the country are in the midst of preparing for the upcoming combine and their respective pro days to secure their positions in April.

There will be some prospects who get the opportunity to play in multiple professional leagues. Avenues are being paved for other leagues such as the XFL and USFL, who both hold their seasons during the spring.

READ MORE: FSU Legend comes up short in debut as an XFL Head Coach

The XFL has already begun play but the USFL won't kick off until April 15. That means the league is slowly taking steps towards the start of the 2023 season.

On Tuesday, the USFL held a ten round draft to acquire talent for the eight teams in the league. It's an interesting strategy as some players selected such as Louisville's Malik Cunningham, FAMU's Isaiah Land, Michigan State's Jarrett Horst, and others, might have futures at the NFL level.

Among the selections was a name that will ring a bell for Seminole fans.

In the second round of the draft, the Memphis Showboats utilized the No. 11 overall pick on Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden. 

We've got a good feeling about this one🙌

With the 11th pick of the 2023 USFL College Draft, we select Isaiah Bolden 🤩@isaiahbolden23 pic.twitter.com/4Nib0MmfIC

— Memphis Showboats (@USFLShowboats) February 21, 2023

Prior to his time with the Tigers, Bolden originally signed with Florida State as a four-star prospect in the 2018 class. He redshirted as a true freshman, spending the majority of his time on the practice squad while making one appearance in reserve duty against Samford. Bolden's role grew the following season as he appeared in all 13 games and made his first career start against Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.

The Florida native recorded ten tackles, one interception and two pass breakups while also contributing on special teams. He returned six kickoffs for 156 yards and one punt for seven yards. Bolden pulled down an interception in the season-opener against Boise State and returned a kickoff 41 yards against Boston College. 

Bolden stuck with the program once Mike Norvell replaced Willie Taggart. However, he was moved to wide receiver prior to the 2020 season-opener. After not playing in the loss to Georgia Tech, Bolden announced his decision to enter the Transfer Portal on September 15.

A couple of months later, he committed to Deion Sanders and Jackson State. Bolden spent much of his first two seasons contributing on special teams. He returned 16 kicks for 591 yards and two touchdowns in 2021, leading the NCAA with an average of 36.9 yards per return.

In 2022, Bolden earned extensive playing time in the defensive backfield and turned it into his most productive season yet. He recorded 44 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. That included a career-high nine tackles and one tackle for loss against Alabama State.

It's possible that he hears his named called late in the upcoming NFL Draft as well. If not, Bolden will have a fallback option in Memphis to begin his professional career.

The Showboats are returning to the league after the Tampa Bay Bandits announced their departure for the USFL's second season. The franchise is led by Todd Haley, who previously coached in the NFL with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and others.

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