The California Golden Bears will be heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference without their top wide receiver the last two years.
Jeremiah Hunter became the newest entry to the transfer portal on Thursday — just one day after Cal finalized its 2024 early recruiting class. Hunter, who caught 144 career passes in Berkeley, has one year of eligibility remaining.
There will likely be some significant interest for the athletic 6’2″, 200-pounder who emerged as a strong red zone target and fundamentally sound route runner. Who are the best fits?
Transfer Landing Spots for Jeremiah Hunter
Hunter enters the portal after his best season with receptions (63) and touchdowns (seven).
He also leaves Strawberry Canyon with 2,103 career receiving yards and 13 total end-zone trips. But he flipped a switch in the last two games of the year against UCLA and Texas Tech. He combined 13 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the Bruins and Red Raiders, the latter in the Independence Bowl.
MORE: 2024 College Football Realignment, Cal Joins ACC
Hunter became a 60-catch threat at Cal. And he did it playing for two offensive coordinators in Bill Musgrave (fired during the 2022 season) and Jake Spavital (for the 2023 season only). He’ll likely fit in an offense he’s already familiar with.
But in looking at potential suitors, we can’t also rule out past recruiting tie-ins. Here are the five best fits.
Baylor Bears
With Spavital now in a position to run the offense in Waco, Texas, who better than to get the WR who thrived the most in his offense over to Baylor?
Here’s what could interest Hunter in the Bears: Baylor didn’t sign a single true WR on Wednesday, including in the transfer portal. That could also indicate that head coach Dave Aranda has renewed confidence in his WR group. However, not a single Bears player caught 40 passes last season. This unit needs a spark.
Hunter is the perfect guy to show the 2024 Baylor receivers how Spavital’s offense works. Plus Hunter will have some continuity by staying with a system he got acquainted with.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Could Hunter be in for a possible homecoming? He is a Fresno native who starred at nearby Central High School, forming a wicked crop of wide receivers with future Texas Longhorn Xavier Worthy.
The Bulldogs also made a run at Hunter during his prep years before deciding on Cal in the spring of 2019. Furthermore, FS could use former Cal WR/KR Nikko Remigio as leverage should they make a run at Hunter — as Hunter’s past Bears teammate thrived in Fresno during their 2022 Mountain West Conference title run.
Here’s what could present a dilemma for Hunter, though. Ex-Cal head coach Jeff Tedford has had his battles with his health, particularly his heart. Hunter may not get the chance to fully work with an offensive whiz like Tedford. FS rolled with Tim Skipper as head coach for the New Mexico Bowl.
The Bulldogs then reloaded at WR through the early NSD period by getting as many as six prospects with a wideout background. But with Erik Brooks and Jaelen Gill on their way out, FS could still want experience here, and Hunter is the guy for that.
UCLA Bruins
Could the Bruins strike again by nabbing a past Golden Bear? They pulled it off last year by snatching J. Michael Sturdivant.
This time, the recruiting pitch will move to the Big 10 conference. Another pitch is playing with L.A. Bowl Most Valuable Player Ethan Garbers, whose brother Chase played briefly with Hunter at Cal.
The Bruins, though, swooped up four-star transfer portal wideout Rico Flores from Norte Dame. Still, the allure of reteaming with Sturdivant could coax Hunter to stay within the University of California system and head south to Westwood.
Missouri Tigers
Time will tell if there’ll be a high number of Southeastern Conference schools who become interested in Hunter. But here’s why he could be swayed to the St. Louis region.
Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore was Fresno State’s wide receiver coach when he tried to pilfer him on the recruiting trail. Moore has since established himself as one of the nation’s top offensive coordinators by turning the 10-2 Tigers into a top-five SEC offense. Moore also just signed a new extension to stay in Mizzou, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
While Moore’s offense may differentiate from what Spavital does, it’s still a WR-friendly offense with Moore a past college wideout himself. And just imagine Hunter being paired with Mizzou’s breakout sophomore, Luther Burden. That’s a scary collaboration for future SEC defenses.
Washington Huskies
Kalen DeBoer gets his chance at proving UW will reload, not rebuild, under him.
Once the College Football Playoffs end, he’ll say goodbye to Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan to the NFL Draft. Replacing both will be among his biggest tasks for the offseason, along with Michael Penix Jr.
While DeBoer and UW have highly-touted Justice Williams and Jason Robinson coming in via the early signing period, the Huskies could still use experience on the perimeter. DeBoer is very familiar with Hunter having helped game plan against him in the Pac-12…but also watching him in Fresno when DeBoer was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator.
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