Wisconsin received a commitment from Will McDonald on Wednesday

During the course of his recruitment, Will McDonald racked up offers from Akron, Army, Illinois State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kent State, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, South Dakota and Fordham, among others.

But when an opportunity from Wisconsin presented itself last week, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound in-state defensive end knew where his heart was at. And on Wednesday, McDonald announced he had accepted a preferred walk-on offer from the Badgers.

"The offer came last Wednesday or Thursday of last week, and before that I was talking to Wisconsin for a really long time," McDonald told BadgerBlitz.com. "I've been on all the game-day visits and stuff like that with them, and I've always loved the school. The biggest issue was that they weren't planning on taking a defensive end in this class, which is the reason why it took a while to get an offer from them.

"But as we talked I made it really clear that Wisconsin was the spot I wanted to be at and it was a dream for me to go there. They realized that I was really serious about them and that's how it all happened."

McDonald, a three-star prospect from Hudson High School, said that turning down scholarship money was a difficult choice, especially from other Power 5 programs.

"Before I committed I took visits to Kansas and Northern Illinois, just places that I haven't visited to make sure I knew where I wanted to be at," McDonald said. "Right after that, though, I called Coach (Mickey) Turner to commit to Wisconsin.

"It was really difficult. It's a different situation and I completely understand that. But I found a place that feels like home and I found a place that is going to make me happy. That was definitely a big thing and I'm very fortunate to have parents that will support that decision. I had offers from some fantastic schools and it was really hard, but I know Wisconsin is the right place for me."

McDonald will join his older brother, third-year end Cade McDonald, on UW's defensive line.

"Cade was so excited and he's been texting me all about Wisconsin since I got the offer," Will McDonald said. "I told him before anyone else that I was going to commit and he's just so pumped. My brother told me that if he had to go through the recruiting process again, he would go to Wisconsin 100 more times. He has complete faith in the coaches and he loves the staff and the school. I tried to keep my brother out of it a little bit because I didn't want to just follow him to a school, and he didn't want to sway my decision. But he always said that he loved it there and he was probably the most excited out of anyone.

"It's definitely defensive end as of right now and that's what is being communicated to me. They have some ideas for me and I have a big frame, so I think I can put the weight on and hold it pretty well while maintaining my speed. This year I gained 20 pounds and still cut a little time off my 40-yard dash, so I was excited about that. I have a similar build to my brother - he's a little taller than me but we're pretty similar."

Not only did McDonald turn down scholarship money in football, he did so in lacrosse as well. This spring, the rising senior was a Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation All-State pick and USA Lacrosse All-American selection for the second straight year.

"I was still talking to schools for lacrosse right up until I committed," McDonald said. "It's a sport that I've been playing since I was little kid. It was something I was definitely considering, but I was pretty confident I was going to play football, especially when I got the Wisconsin offer.

"It feels amazing to have made my decision and now it's time to lock in and not talk to any coaches outside of Wisconsin. I can focus on my season and helping my team achieve our goals this year. It's a big weight lifted off my shoulders."

Wisconsin currently has 13 scholarship commitments in the 2023 class.