Cal Wide Receiver Chase Hendricks Chats About What The Bears Can Accomplish

The versatile transfer sees no ceiling on what the Bears can do this season.

Wide receiver Chase Hendricks chose Cal for a combination of reasons that added up to one clear answer.

“I just thought it was the best opportunity for me and my family. Trying to go to the next level, and I thought just the coaching staff, the quarterback and just the people around, the relationships. I just thought overall it was a great spot for me just to continue my legacy.”

On wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, Hendricks appreciated both the knowledge and the delivery.

“Coach Ike has been great, man. A guy that’s been in the league a long time, played in the league a long time, coached in the league and coached at this level. He’s a guy that just knows what he’s doing, knows what he’s talking about. So I just kind of soak up all the knowledge that I can.”

Hilliard’s understated style has made an impression too.

“Pretty laid back. Not too many words, but you know what he’s talking about when he does talk. He’s not a guy that boasts on himself.”

Hendricks had a rough sense of Hilliard’s playing career coming in, and has filled in the gaps since.

“Probably about half of what he did. I knew he won a national title. He scored like four touchdowns in that game. He was a first team All-American.”

“That’s kind of the expectation from our leader. He’s already been on that level, already experienced that. Just him coaching us with that edge, knowing what he’s done, it just kind of bleeds off into us and makes you want to attack each and every day with a purpose.”

As a player, Hendricks sees himself as a complete weapon.

“I’m a guy with a lot of versatility. I play inside, I play outside. I can run routes, go deep if I need to, run any intermediate routes. I’m just a guy that pretty much can do everything on the field. Got speed, got routes, anything that you need, I got it.”

One of the more unexpected connections he found at Cal was with assistant Geoff MacArthur, one of the program’s most productive receivers ever.

“When I first came to Cal, I didn’t really know too much about Cal or Coach Geoff either. When I kind of met him, we connected on a spiritual level. The bond just kind of bled off into conversations that probably regular people wouldn’t have. He was telling me about his process, how he didn’t really get the opportunity to go to the league, got the opportunity but just didn’t take it. We kind of connected and that’s my dog. Him being in my corner is a great resource.”

On the program’s three pillars, Hendricks put them in plain terms.

“Ball excellence is just being on the field, knowing your alignment, your timing, your technique. Relentless effort is just six, seven seconds of hell, going on the field and giving everything you got. Then the power unit pillar is just creating that brotherhood that’s unbreakable. I got you, you got me every single time.”

As for what this team can accomplish, Hendricks wasn’t shy.

“I think the sky’s the limit for this team. I think we definitely have enough talent to do whatever we want. Whether it’s an ACC championship, college football playoffs, going all the way to a national title, I think it’s all there. Everything’s in front of us. We just got to put our heads down, get better every day and we’ll be fine.”

His impressions of offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville were equally enthusiastic.

“Coach Somerville is a crazy psychic guy. Just his mind, he knows what he’s talking about within the system. The system is pretty fun, NFL style. I’m kind of learning what to expect from certain teams at the next level because some teams run this system. So I’ll have kind of a head start. I appreciate him recruiting me and doing me right.”