Jeremiah Hunter Orders Breakfast Now with No More Surprises

The Cal transfer is poised to have a big season in Jedd Fisch's pro-style offense.

Jeremiah Hunter makes a fall camp grab for the Huskies. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Official visits are not supposed to work this way. Four days after the University of Washington football team lost the CFP national championship game to Michigan, wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter was committed to the Huskies and touring Montlake with his parents, ready to make the move from California.

He and his family were having breakfast with then-UW recruiting analyst Darrell Duckett when Hunter saw on Instagram that Kalen DeBoer had taken the Alabama job, news breaking so fast the staffer at the table didn't even see it coming.

"It was like a movie," Hunter said.

He next spoke with Husky receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, who likewise was caught off guard by the news and wasn't sure where he'd be working next. At that moment, the only thing certain was Hunter's UW visit was over.

"They basically just sent me home and said, 'We're not trying to sell you on a school that we won't be here for,' " he said. "I understood."

It all worked out in the end for Hunter and the UW. He signed with Jedd Fisch's staff, which had been recruiting him to Arizona before those guys changed jobs and moved to Seattle. The receiver was drawn to their NFL experience.

The Huskies landed a 6-foot-2, 212-pound senior from Fresno, California, with huge credentials -- 143 career receptions for 2,056 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Bears -- who now might be one of their five best players.

He's big and fast and plays with plenty of attitude, all qualities he hopes will turn him into a high NFL draft pick while he plays on a bigger offensive platform. As much as he liked Justin Wilcox's staff, he was leaving Berkeley no matter what.

Jeremiah Hunter takes a moment to himself during fall camp. / Skylar Lin Visuals

"I feel like the offense that we had at Cal wasn’t going to prepare me for the league,' Hunter said. "That’s why I was trying to venture out, see what can help me get a better chance [with my] draft stock and all that, and developing in an NFL offense so it won’t be as big of a jump."

In the spring, the Huskies made him learn the offense and briefly transition from the No. 2 offensive unit, and he's been making big catches in practice ever since. He initially was drawn to UW football because "that just looked like they were having fun."

Jeremiah Hunter makes a Willie Mays catch at UW football practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

One of his 13 Cal touchdowns came against the UW last season, a 7-yarder in the first quarter of a game that would turn into a 59-32 defeat for the Bears at Husky Stadium. He's counting on his new surroundings providing him with unlimited opportunities to catch a variety of passes.

“I can run a slant, I can run a curl, I can run out routes, all that,” Hunter said. “Last year at Cal, I had limited routes. I just want to show I can run the whole route tree.”

Not only that, Hunter intends to get through breakfast with the Huskies from here on out without any more surprises.

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