Assistant Coach Ike Hilliard Talks About Cal's Three Transfer WRs

Ian Strong, Chase Hendricks and Cooper Perry provide QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele three new targets

Chase Hendricks (16) tries to elude defenders last season while playing for Ohio U | David Yeazell-Imagn Images

Among the 44 new players participating in spring practice for Cal are three wide receiver transfers the Bears hope will have a big impact next fall.

There are a total of 12 wide receivers on the spring roster, including several returning players who made an impact last season. Those include seniors Jordan King and Cole Boscia and redshirt juniors Mark Hamper and Kyion Grayes.

That doesn’t even take into account Jacob De Jesus, who last year as a transfer from UNLV, caught 108 passes to set a Cal record and lead all of FBS. De Jesus continues to wait on the decision by a judge on a lawsuit filed on behalf of him and other seeking an additional year of eligibility.

The newcomers include two seniors who were productive last fall. 

Ian Strong, at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, comes from Rutgers, where he caught 52 passes for 762 yards and five touchdowns last fall. Chase Hendricks, a  6-foot, 200-pounder from Ohio U, had 71 receptions for 1,037 yards and eight TDs in 2025.

Cooper Perry, a sophomore transfer from Oregon, has yet to show what made him a four-star prospect and the No. 2 recruit in the state of Arizona two years ago.

Cal receivers coach Ike Hilliard describes the varied skillsets of the threesome and how sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele expects to utilize them in the video at the top of this story.

Cal opens the Tosh Lupoi coaching era on Sept. 5 vs. old Pac-12 rival UCLA at Memorial Stadium.

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