WR Jeremiah Hunter Stayed at Cal, and He's Pleased With New Freedom

When the smoke had cleared from the moves made within the transfer portal, there were three key players Cal retained: inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon, running back Jaydn Ott and wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter.

With Sirmon, Cal’s only first-team all-Pac-12 selection in 2022, it was more a matter of whether he would declare for the 2023 NFL draft than transfer, because he figured to stay with the school that employed his father, defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon.

The concern for Cal fans focused on Ott, who rushed for 897 yards as a true freshman in 2022, and Hunter, who was third in the Pac-12 in receiving yards per game (87.7) in 2022. With the transfer of three quarterbacks and wide receiver J.Michael Studivant to UCLA, Ott and Hunter were the two remaining offensive stars.

Ott said he never seriously considered transferring. Hunter said the departure of the three quarterbacks concerned him, but speaking with wide receivers coach Burl Toler III put him at ease.

“I just told my concerns to coach Toler, straight up I’m scared, I don’t know what’s going on,” Hunter said. “We don’t have any quarterbacks right now. Coach just told me, ‘Believe me everything will be all right.’ I believed him with all my heart so I just stayed.”

Cal hired a new offensive coordinator (Jake Spavital) and brought in TCU transfer Sam Jackson V to be the quarterback, and Hunter finds himself in a situation he likes.

The wide receivers’ roles are considerably different in Spavital’s offense than they were in Bill Musgrave’s offense the previous three seasons. Now receivers have greater autonomy in terms of their route-running.

“The difference I see is [Spavital’s] letting us play ball,” Hunter said. “I think that’s one of the funnest things. He doesn’t keep us in a box; he lets us be free.

“Last year it was more stationary stuff, sometimes it was mandatory we had to do this. With Coach Spav, we can break things off.”

Toler expanded on the difference for receivers under Spavital.

“Having the option or ability to break routes off or head toward the middle based on what kind of leverage they see,” Toler said. “We give them a lot of ability to move around, find space, run to grass. It’s not as rigid as far as taking seven steps or 12 yards. It’s just read leverage and make a decision based on that. That’s been a big change for the guys, but they like it.”

It makes things a little more challenging for the quarterback initially, but Toler says with time, it will create a more cohesive passing game.

With Jackson’s ability to roll out and scramble, a lot will depend on the quarterback’s familiarity with his receivers’ tendencies, and a lot of decision will be made during a play.

“It’s basically backyard football,” Hunter said.

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