Hayfield grad Evan Bungum has come a long way in the past few years. Now he’s hoping to go even farther.

After starting his college football career at Division II Minnesota State University as a safety three years ago, Bungum transferred to Rochester Community and Technical College, where he played wide receiver for two seasons. On Thursday, Bungum signed his national letter-of-intent to play football at Division II Southwest Minnesota State University, where he will earn an athletic scholarship.

“It’s been a long journey. I can’t wait to go win a NSIC championship with this team,” Bungum said. “It was a good offer and a good fit. It’s a good small town atmosphere where I can still hunt and fish.”

Bungum caught just two passes in his high school football career with Hayfield as he played quarterback and safety. He thought he was going to play safety at Minnesota State in Mankato, but things weren’t exactly what he was expecting when he got to campus. Bungum finally made it his decision to transfer to RCTC during his freshman year.

“I didn’t really see eye to eye with coach [Todd] Hoffner,” Bungum said.

Shortly after Bungum left MSU, Hoffner was fired even after he was cleared of charges on allegations of child porn. Aaron Keen took over as interim head coach for the Mavericks after Hoffner left and MSU offered Bungum another scholarship this year, along with Augustana College and the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

“[Hoffner] got put into a bad situation. Keen’s a great coach and I might have stayed in Mankato if I would’ve known he was going to be the coach,” Bungum said. “It would’ve taken a lot for me to go back to Mankato now, because I’ve been there and done that. I want to try someplace new.”

Bungum also drew looks from the University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota, but they weren’t offering anything more than a walk-on position.

Bungum is excited to be a part of the Mustangs’ offense, which features a strong passing attack. SMSU, which is located in Marshall, Minn., threw 552 times for 2,958 yards and averaged 40.8 points per game last season. Bungum is hoping to jump right into the lineup and contribute.

“They’re just a complete air raid on offense. I wouldn’t mind having a chance at 20 catches in a game,” Bungum said.

Bungum, who is 6-2 and 195 pounds, racked up 16 catches for 270 yards and three TDs this past season for the Yellowjackets, who went 10-2 overall. He said he’s learning the finer points of running routes and he feels like he’s becoming a complete receiver, instead of a fast athlete who just runs straight lines and tries to make big plays.

“I’m still learning, but I think I found my true calling as far as my position goes,” Bungum said.

SMSU went 7-5 overall last season and Bungum, who has two years of elgibility left, thinks they are a program on the rise. The Mustangs play in the Northern Sun Conference, which means Bungum will get a chance to play against MSU and Winona State University, where Southland grads Alan May and Chris May are wide receivers.

Bungum didn’t want to play junior college football when he was in high school, but now that he’s done it, he’s glad he gave it a shot.

“I’d like to thank all of the RCTC coaches. I kind of wish it was a four-year school and it’s surreal to be leaving,” Bungum said. “It’s a good platform school and it’s a great way for small town kids to get noticed by bigger schools.”