BERKELEY – Cal wide receivers coach Burl Toler III thought he was just sharing a Sunday morning with Jeremiah Hunter and his family earlier this month.

Turns out Toler III discovered one of his newest receivers can do much more than catch footballs.

Hunter, a four-star recruit who signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Bears on Wednesday, is heavily involved at Westside Church of God in Fresno. He plays the drums in the church band and oversees the live stream production of each service.

"I was just expecting to sit and hang out with his family," Toler III said. "But he was up there playing the drums and making sure the camera was straight. Jeremiah is a guy that just works and isn't too vocal about what he is doing. I honestly wasn't surprised to see him up there. He was smooth. I was really impressed."

Truth be told, the drums came well before football for Hunter. Hunter's parents bought him a toy drum when he was small and he eventually graduated to a mini-drum set. Hunter joined his elementary school band in fourth grade and was part of the drumline in middle school.

"He was probably playing drums in the womb," Hunter's mom, Elizabeth, said.

In addition to playing drums at church, Hunter also accompanies Elizabeth when she performs as a singer locally. Hunter entertained the idea of playing football and for the band at Central - playing the drums at halftime when the rest of his teammates were in the locker room. But he ultimately decided it would be too much.

"He was considering it at first, but when he realized the demand, he realized he couldn't," Elizabeth Hunter said. "He knew at halftime he'd have to hear the coach's halftime talk and prepare for the second half. He had to decide and football is his first love."

Hunter plays a major role in the youth group at Westside. He helps organize services on the third Sunday of each month for "Youth Sundays," which includes an outreach program that provides food for those in need.

"It starts with my family," Jeremiah Hunter said. "I want to do it, but it's also ingrained in me. It just feels good to know that you're helping somebody else. One of the purposes of our church is to help people, and I'm glad I can help some of those people out."

Elizabeth Hunter says the only problem with her son's drumming is he doesn't play loud enough. But that's simply a reflection of his personality. The humble Jeremiah Hunter is far from an attention-seeker, always preferring to put others first and empower those around him.

"He always thinks he's playing too loud," Elizabeth Hunter said. "I tell him, 'You are the heart and the beat – I need to feel you all the time.' But that's his personality. He's a very considerate and polite young man with a big heart. I really appreciate him for that."

Hunter's humility extends to the football field, but his performance is worth being told. He amassed 209 receptions for 3,215 yards and 50 touchdowns during his high school career. Central went 31-3 during his three varsity seasons, culminating in a victory in the CIF Division I state championship game last week.

"He's a great teammate and a great leader," said Je'Kob Jones, Hunter's teammate at Central. "Every game and every practice, he's always the one picking guys up if they did something wrong. Jeremiah never puts himself first. He's not selfish in any way. He's always looking to help somebody."

Hunter's next step is to help the Bears win, and not just by earning yards and scoring touchdowns.

"He's a well-rounded person, and that's when you build trust with your coaches and teammates," Toler III said. "It's easy to throw to you on third-and-long when you have that trust. Jeremiah is going to fit in great with everything that we do."