5/20/2020 football Edit

In-state check-in: 2021 wide receiver Matteo Bonnin

Jon McNamara • BadgerBlitz

Editor

Jon McNamara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has covered UW athletics since 2002 and has worked at Rivals.com since 2006.

North Dakota currently lists 13 players from the state of Wisconsin on its current roster, with at least five more set to arrive this summer.

In the 2021 recruiting class, the Fighting Hawks were the first Division 1 offer for Matteo Bonnin, a projected wide receiver from Hudson High School.

"It felt great - it was a dream come true, to be honest," Bonnin told BadgerBlitz.com. "It has been a goal of mine since middle school to have a chance at playing at the Division 1 level, and I have always worked as hard as I could for that goal to happen. When I talked to Coach Bubba (Schweigert) over the phone and he told me that they were extending me a scholarship, it felt unreal.

Junior wide receiver Matteo Bonnin currently has five scholarship offers.

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"They said that they enjoy talking to me and like me for who I am as a person. They said that they loved my athleticism and explosiveness that I showed in my film and in the workout we had in person. They also said that they liked my size and they love to have bigger guys at receiver, so they said that I’d be great for them at their program."

Bonnin, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, also has offers from Northern State, Southwest Minnesota State, Minnesota State-Mankato and Minnesota-Duluth. A handful of other programs are also showing strong interest this spring.

"The schools I’m keeping in contact the most are North Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota," Bonnin said. "They talk to me a couple times a week or more. Those are the schools I talk to the most but I still keep in contact with other schools as well.

"North Dakota was the only school I was able to visit, which was in the winter time. I had plans to visit other schools such as North Dakota State, Illinois State, South Dakota and some other schools. But because of everything going on they all got canceled."

As a junior, Bonnin, an all-conference selection, had over 550 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. He is hoping to see a few schools when campuses open back up.

"I’m hoping to go to North Dakota State, South Dakota and Illinois State, for sure," Bonnin said. "I’m also looking forward to going to see the campuses of the schools that have offered me, and also any colleges that recruit me in the future.

"It’s been tough not being able to take visits. I was really looking forward to being able to go on campuses and meet the coaches in person, and being able to get a feel for everything. But I’ve been keeping my head up and staying positive. I’m just hoping we will be able to do more this summer. But if not, that’s just the way it is and things will fall in the right place.

"I’m hoping the schools that I’ve been keeping in contact with are close to offering, and I believe they are. I’ve built good relationships with the coaches from North Dakota State and South Dakota, and I’ve been building a relationship more with the coaches from Illinois State as well, so I’m excited to see where it goes from here."

Hudson made the playoffs last season but finished with a 4-6 record. Bonnin is working to end his high school career on a high note.

"I’m hoping to have a season in general, and If we do, I want to have a great year and help make my teammates get better and better each day," Bonnin said. "I also want to help lead my team to a conference championship, and then hopefully a state championship after that."