New Cal Wide Receiver Mark Hamper Seeks Versatile Role

Mark Hamper caught 21 touchdown passes as a senior at West Linn High School while playing for the Oregon 6A state championship team.

He had 49 receptions for nearly 1,000 yards as a redshirt freshman last fall at the University of Idaho.

But as Hamper works through his first fall camp at Cal, he still views himself as a work in progress.

“Right now I’m just focused on getting one percent better every day,” the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder said. “I’m still pretty raw to the receiver position.

“I know that’s weird to say going into Year 3 (in college), but I still feel like there’s a lot I can develop at as a receiver. Getting down the playbook, build on these practices and carve out a role.”

Hamper is part of a new wave of Cal players at his position after a mass exodus at wide receiver in the offseason. Only one of the 12 Golden Bears — senior Trond Grizzell — who caught as many as 10 passes in 2024 are back this season.

In fact, players who accounted for just 11 percent of the Bears’ pass receptions and 14.5 percent of their receiving yards in 2024 remain on the roster.

That prompted the recruitment of five transfers, also including Daz James of Arkansas, Jacob DeJesus of UNLV, QuaRon Adams of South Dakota and Jayden Dixon-Veal of Purdue.

Among that group, Hamper had more catches and receiving yards last season than any of the newcomers, and Pro Football Focus lists DeJesus and Hamper as the fifth and sixth highest-graded wide receivers in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Hamper emerged in the second half of last season as a potent weapon for the Vandals, an FCS program that competes in the Big Sky Conference. Over a six-game span he had 28 catches for 566 yards (20.2 yards per game), and five touchdowns. That included a performance against Weber State that saw Hamper catch six passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns.

He played primarily in the slot at Idaho, although he did get opportunities elsewhere on the field. Now Hamper wants to expand on that versatility.

“I was kind of utilized as a gadget guy. I would hop around a lot. In the backfield from time to time, outside a lot,” he said. “The skill set I’m hoping to bring here is a guy who can bounce around a lot, help the team in a multitude of ways, whether it’s getting in there blocking, making catches or doing whatever the coaches ask.

“I want to be a weapon on the outside, so working on my releases, working on my breakdowns and contested catches.”

Hamper transferred to Wisconsin after last season but by spring ball had decided he needed to move again. “Just wasn’t the best fit,” he said.

Hamper made recruiting trips to Arizona State and New Mexico and considered a visit to USC before settling on Cal.

The attraction included the opportunity and the other receivers he met here, but he also was sold on first-year receivers coach Kyle Cefalo. ”I just love coach Cef and the development he’s had with his past receivers,” he said.

At Utah State in 2021, Cefalo tutored Deven Thompkins, who caught 101 passes for 1,704 yards and 10 touchdowns to become a Biletnikoff Award semifinal. Thompkins has been on an NFL roster the past three years.

At Arkansas State, Cefalo developed a pair of second-team All-Americans — Omar Bayless in 2019 and Jonathan Adams Jr. in 2020.

Hamper won’t project much beyond the next practice at this point, but he is embracing his Berkeley experience.

“It’s been amazing,” Hamper said. “Loving everybody here, love the campus.”

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