Tre Walker
By Navin Krishnan (@NavinKthespear) – Reporter
The United States Football League has recently been fortified with seven new Spartan alumni.
These former Spartans have made their journey from all walks of life to be drafted into the USFL.
Former San Jose State quarterback Josh Love was selected with the second pick in round 12 of the USFL draft. Love finished his career as a Spartan third in school history with 7,209 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes. Love was drafted by the Pittsburgh Maulers on Feb. 23.
Wide receiver Bailey Gaither was selected with the fifth pick in round 15 by the Maulers. Gaither was touted as “one of the most productive” receivers in SJSU history by ESPN NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. Gaither’s career as a Spartan was most evidently defined by his 135 passes caught and 18 touchdowns scored in six seasons with the Spartans.
Another former wide receiver, Tre Walker was selected with the fourth pick in round 17 by the Maulers. Walker spent four seasons with the Spartans, including being named first-team All Mountain West in 2019. Walker remains one of six players at SJSU to record a 1,000-yard receiving season.
Boogie Roberts was drafted second in round 25 by the Pittsburgh Maulers Roberts. Roberts played five seasons for the Spartans. The linebacker was the only defender for SJSU to start in all 12 games in the 2015-2016 season.
Frank Ginda, former Spartan linebacker, was drafted fourth in round 30 by the Michigan Panthers. Ginda committed to San Jose State University in October of 2014.
Ginda holds the record for most tackles as a Spartan with 173.
In round 33, with the sixth pick, the Michigan Panthers selected Michael Carrizosa, a 5-foot-10-inch punter who completed four years as a Spartan uniform in 2017 and garnered a number of accolades including the Ray Guy Award finalist and watch list multiple times.
Ryan DiSalvo was drafted third in round 35 by the Tampa Bay Bandits. DiSalvo, a 6-foot-4-inch long snapper who played for the Spartans from 2012 to 2016 as a crucial part of SJSU offense. In his first two seasons in Division I, DiSalvo went 249 for 249 on “true” snaps.
The draft began Feb. 22 and concluded Feb. 23. A total of 280 draft picks in 47 rounds were selected. Each team’s roster will be reinforced with 35 new players for the 38 available spots available.
The USFL is planning to host a supplemental draft in March to add players to the league’s pool of players.