Wisconsin football wide receiver announces transfer destination
Wisconsin transfer wide receiver Mark Hamper committed to Cal on Wednesday, as first reported by On3's Hayes Fawcett.
The now-former Badger chose the Bears over New Mexico and Arizona State. He reportedly took visits to each over the last few weeks.
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Hamper reentered the portal earlier this spring after just four months at Wisconsin. He joined the program as a winter transfer addition on December 20, following a breakout redshirt freshman season at Idaho (48 receptions, 966 receiving yards and six touchdowns). He earned Football Championship Subdivision Freshman All-American honors for that output. Unsurprisingly, he was considered one of the top receiver transfers from the FCS level.
Hamper now joins a Cal program that has gone 6-7 in each of the last two seasons. It has reached four bowl games in eight total years under head coach Justin Wilcox, its best season being an 8-5 finish in 2019.
The Bears are set to return a veteran wide receiver corps entering 2025, led by top 2024 contributors Trond Grizzell (28 catches, 401 yards, one touchdown in 2024) and Jonathan Brady (36 catches, 386 yards, three touchdowns), plus UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus (36 catches, 512 yards, three touchdowns). While Hamper may not start immediately, a clear path to playing time was a likely selling point of the commitment.
The FCS transfer joins Cal with three years of eligibility remaining. According to On3, he was the top-ranked uncommitted transfer wide receiver at this late stage of the spring.
Hamper left a Wisconsin wide receiver room that is set to be led by Vinny Anthony (39 catches, 672 yards, four touchdowns in 2024), transfer Jayden Ballard (two catches, 18 yards at Ohio State) and Trech Kekahuna (25 catches, 339 yards, two touchdowns) in 2025. Past that top trio, the former Idaho receiver projected as a primary backup at either boundary position.
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Wisconsin is still in the portal looking to replace Hamper and veteran transfer Quincy Burroughs. The program recently missed out on two reported targets. It has since offered Hawaii transfer Dekel Crowdus and reportedly expressed interest in UConn transfer Jasaiah Gathings. For more, bookmark our spring transfer window tracker.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football transfer wide receiver Mark Hamper commits to Cal
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