The tears Luc Bequette shed a little over a year ago on the field at California Memorial Stadium have now turned into smiles.

The defensive lineman was distraught when he heard the news last summer that the Pac-12 had canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic – not just because he thought he had lost football, but because he thought he had lost Cal.

Bequette really wanted to play, so he sought a new home and landed at Boston College, where he started all 11 games for the Eagles.

Many twists and turns later, Bequette is back in Berkeley, preparing for an unlikely finish to his collegiate career.

"When I found out the Pac-12 had canceled the season, I started crying right in the middle of a workout," Bequette said. "I knew I would have to transfer. I called Coach [Justin] Wilcox, but I could barely even tell him because I was crying so hard. I couldn't even say it."

Before the Pac-12 shut down the 2020 football season, Bequette was preparing for his sixth year in Berkeley. He arrived at Cal in 2015 and spent his first season as a redshirt, and then was granted a sixth year of eligibility after playing just four games in 2016 due to injury.

Berkeley had become Bequette's home, both in the present and for the future. If the NFL didn't work out, he had plans to stay in Northern California indefinitely.

"I like to think I'm one of the biggest Cal fans in the area," Bequette said. "I'm all about Cal. It really is home for me. All my best memories of my life have been here. I love it here, and am so grateful."

Less than a month after the Pac-12 season was canceled, Bequette found himself in Boston College's training camp and was in the starting lineup for the Eagles' season-opening win over Duke. Five days after that victory, the Pac-12 announced it was reinstating the 2020 fall season.

Bequette initially felt frustrated and betrayed, but upon reflection realizes his decision to leave Berkeley was the correct one. Boston College got in a full season where the Bears were limited to just four games.

When the Eagles' season ended, Bequette started exploring his NFL options. When it started to look as though he may not make it to the next level, Bequette started plotting out his next steps in the "real world."

Then came the dreams.

"Literally, in the same week, I had two separate dreams that I was playing football at Cal," Bequette said. "After the first one, I woke up and was like, 'Man, I miss Cal.' After the second one, I was like, 'Is this a sign? Should I reach back out to Cal?'"

Bequette contacted Director of Academic Support Joel Derechinsky to explore the possibilities academically, and ended up enrolling in the UC Berkeley Certificate Program in Business Administration. He then had to wait for NCAA clearance, which didn't finally happen until last week, ending a six-month process that ultimately grants Bequette a seventh year in college football.

"He'll continue to bring leadership and toughness," Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said. "The way he's playing, the way he's practicing is very consistent with what we have seen in the past."

Bequette kept tabs on his former - and now current - teammates last season, screaming at his TV as he watched Cal games from afar. When he started considering a return to Cal, he also received a phone call from linebacker and friend Kuony Deng.

"I called him and tried to convince him to come back," Deng said. "I can't take full responsibility, but I took his temperature. Luc loves Cal. We're just all so happy to be able to have him back. He's meant so much to the program. You just have confidence when No. 93 is on the field, that he's going to do his job."