Nik Bonitto

Nik Bonitto is an American college football outside linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Nik Bonitto
Oklahoma Sooners – No. 11
PositionOutside linebacker
Class
Redshirt
Junior
MajorCommunication
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-26) September 26, 1999
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight238 lb (108 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolSt. Thomas Aquinas
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Career highlights and awards
  • AP Second team All-American (2020)
  • AP Third team All-American (2021)
  • 2× Second team All-Big 12 (2020, 2021)
  • USA Today High School All-American (2017)

Early life and high school career

Bonitto grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He was named an Under Armour All-American as a senior.[1] Bonitto was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Oklahoma over offers from Texas and Louisville.[2]

College career

Bonitto played in three games as a true freshman before using a redshirt on the season.[3] He became a starter at outside linebacker six games into his redshirt freshman season and finished the year with 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.[4][5][6] As a redshirt sophomore, he recorded 29 tackles with ten tackles for lost and 7.5 sacks and was named a second team All-American by the Associated Press.[7] Bonitto repeated as a second team All-Big 12 selection after finishing his redshirt junior season with 39 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks and one forced fumble. Following the conclusion of the regular season, he announced his decision forgo his redshirt senior season and enter the 2022 NFL draft as well as opt out of the 2021 Alamo Bowl.[8]

References
  1. "St. Thomas' Nik Bonitto commits to Oklahoma, has already signed with the Sooners". Sun Sentinel. January 4, 2018.
  2. Nathan, Alec (January 4, 2018). "4-Star DE Prospect Nik Bonitto Commits to Oklahoma over Louisville, Texas". Bleacher Report.
  3. "Nik Bonitto's growth key as OU deals with injury at outside linebacker". Norman Transcript. October 21, 2019.
  4. "Bonitto enters fall ready to build on growth from last season".
  5. Kersey, Jason (December 27, 2019). "How Oklahoma finally made inroads at powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, Joe Castiglione's prep alma mater". The Athletic.
  6. "OU football: Nik Bonitto's versatilty figures to be a big asset for Sooners in Bedlam". The Oklahoman. November 19, 2020.
  7. "AP All-America football team 2020: Tulsa's Zaven Collins makes first-team, OU's Nik Bonitto second team". The Oklahoman. December 27, 2020.
  8. "Oklahoma LB Nik Bonitto opts out of Alamo Bowl, declares for NFL draft". The Dallas Morning News. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.