USFL College Draft: Michigan Panthers select Jarrett Horst with No. 1 overall pick
With the No. 1 overall pick in the USFL Draft, the Michigan Panthers went with local collegiate product Jarrett Horst, an offensive tackle who played at Michigan State during the 2021 and 2022 seasons after previously playing at Arkansas State. He appeared in eight games for the Spartans this past season as a redshirt senior after not seeing the field in 2021.
Horst played high school football at Middleton (WI) High, where he was an unrated prospect in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Here was the Panthers’ announcement of the pick:
More on the state of the USFL
Last year was the initial season for the USFL, which also resulted in some history for spring football. The USFL was the first league in 40 years to have a successful inaugural season and then come back for a second season.
All eight USFL teams are remotely participating in this year’s draft, drafting the rights to 80 players who are eligible for the draft from a pool of 3,000 players. In order to be eligible for the USFL Draft, athletes must be out of high school for at least three years and either used all of their college eligibility, or waived it. Junior college players can request eligibility after being out of high school for two years and not be enrolled in a four-year school.
“We are building the USFL for long-term success and our first-ever College Draft demonstrates our clear focus on building winning teams for Season 2, Season 3, and beyond,” Daryl Johnston, the USFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, said. “The USFL will continue to search for and evaluate the best players to join our league. We are excited to see who the next KaVontae Turpin will be to turn an opportunity with the USFL into a springboard for success in the NFL. Conducting our inaugural College Draft shows that the USFL is committed to providing these talented players an alternative route to pursue their professional football dreams.”