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Cal wide receiver Cooper Perry runs a drill during spring ball in 2026. As a freshman at Oregon last season, he had 10 catches for 25 yards. (Cal Athletics)
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 316 passes for 3,454 yards as a freshman in 2025.
And as Sagapolutele enters his sophomore season, he does so without the two wide receivers who accounted for more than half of both his completions and his passing yards last year.
Having exhausted their eligibility are Jacob De Jesus, who made a school-record 108 receptions for 1,030 yards last season, and Trond Grizzell, who had 55 catches for 788 yards.
So wide receiver clearly was a position Cal needed to replenish this offseason, and head coach Tosh Lupoi brought in three highly regarded transfers: Chase Hendricks (from Ohio University), Cooper Perry (Oregon) and Ian Strong (Rutgers).
"Three pretty good ones," wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard said when asked about those transfers.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Strong had 52 receptions for 762 yards for the Scarlet Knights last season. Hendricks grabbed 71 passes for 1,037 yards for the Bobcats. Strong and Hendricks are seniors.
Perry is a sophomore who had 10 catches for 25 yards for the Ducks last season.
Sagapolutele provided a brief scouting report about each receiver:
- Strong is "tall, fast, grabs every single ball. He's going to make the difficult catches."
- Hendricks is "one of the best route runners I've seen. … He can work inside. He can work outside."
- Perry is a "sure-handed guy. (Runs) great routes. He reminds me a lot of a Puka Nacua or a Cooper Kupp."
Nacua and Kupp are two of the most accomplished receivers in the NFL. Hilliard played 12 seasons (1997-2008) in the league with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had 546 receptions for 6,397 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Hilliard then spent 13 seasons as an NFL assistant coach, most recently with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 and '25.
"Coach Ike gives me a professional way" of doing things, Hendricks said, "because he knows what it takes to get there."
Hilliard "is one of those coaches who never wants to demean you," Perry said. "He wants to give you tools so that you can try next time to better your game."
Assistant wide receivers coach Geoff McArthur didn't make it to the NFL, but he was one of the top wide receivers in Cal history. A member of the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame, McArthur played for the Bears from 2000 through '04.
He still owns school records for receptions in a game (16, which De Jesus tied last year), receiving yards in a season (1,504 in 2003) and receiving yards in a career (3,188).
"We see his jersey hung up in our receiver room every day when we walk in," Perry said.
McArthur "bleeds Cal blue and we love him," Hilliard said.
About a quarter century ago, McArthur and Lupoi were roommates in the dorms of the Clark Kerr Campus. They endured a 1-10 season in 2001 and were part of the 2004 team that went 10-2.
Coaching at his alma mater means a lot to McArthur.
"You'll see 'em coming in," McArthur said, displaying his forearms. "I'm getting literal goosebumps. Every time I remind myself when I wake up in the morning, before I go to bed at night, I'm living my wildest dream.
"This is something that I've wanted to do for 20-plus years. Every day I remind myself how lucky I am to be here and how grateful I am."
Hilliard and McArthur are tasked with helping the Bears cut down on dropped passes. They had too many of those last season; Sagapolutele's stats would have been better with fewer drops and Cal might have improved on its 7-6 record.
McArthur believes the wide receivers - led by Strong, Hendricks and Perry - will blossom in 2026.
"We know the work is working," McArthur said. "Let's just keep building. Who knows what we might be able to become if we keep this pace?"
Briefly: Cal's returning wide receivers who made at least one reception last season are Jordan King (22 receptions, 267 yards, 2 TDs), QuaRon Adams (20, 273, 1), Mark Hamper (17, 202, 0), Cole Boscia (7, 85, 1) and Kyion Grayes (1, 10, 0). … Acalanes-Lafayette alum Trevor Rogers, now a redshirt sophomore, played in four games last season but did not catch a pass. … De Jesus is in training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Steve Kroner is a freelance writer. Email: [email protected]: X: @SteveKronerSF
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Cal brings in transfer wide receivers to help QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
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