In-state OL Zach Hamilton gets first look at Wisconsin

Thursday, in-state offensive lineman Zach Hamilton made the trip from Greendale to Madison for Wisconsin's second practice of spring camp.

"The visit went great," Hamilton told BadgerBlitz.com. "We started off watching spring practice and I was introduced to all the coaches and met other commits and recruits. After watching Coach (Joe) Rudolph and the offensive line, I was shown a tour of the new installment of the locker room, which looked outstanding.

"Then I was able to finish by watching practice and I got a view from the coaches office from the top of Camp Randall."

A 6-foot-5, 265-pound sophomore, Hamilton was able to speak with Rudolph and Chris Haering, who handles in-state recruiting for the Badgers. Both encouraged him to return for camp this summer.

"The feedback was all positive," Hamilton said. "They really liked my film from my previous year and can see me getting bigger with having a size 14 shoe. They are also encouraging me to come back to visit for another spring practice. They said that they want me to come back for the football camps to get another look at me.

"My initial reaction of Coach Rudolph is that I noticed his great energy and effective coaching style. He comes across as a great communicator on and off the field."

Outside of UW, Hamilton is hearing from Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State, North Dakota State, North Dakota, Wyoming, Dayton and Miami (OH) early in the process.

"Wisconsin has always been one of my top schools due to me being from the state and having shown mutual interest towards one another," Hamilton said.

Wisconsin already has one in-state lineman - Grafton's JP Benzschawel - locked up in the 2021 class.