During the 2017 season, during some of the interviews taking place in the northeast corner of the stadium, you could hear a background noise. A 'ka-chunk' rang out as a blocking sled was pushed in. It happened every single day, rain or shine, as defensive lineman Rusty Becker was on a quest to get better.

It's continued to this day, as Becker was back to it working on hand placement in shedding blocks Wednesday, with teammate Siu Fuimaono working along side him.

"You just look at him right now, that’s what he’s doing," defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said, "he’s teaching Siu how to do the drill correctly. He’s a coach on the field for those guys, and he takes pride in trying to do things the right way."

That's part of it for Becker, who has turned that extra work into an opportunity for his teammates to match his effort.

"It’s helped me a lot, Becker said, "but the main thing is that it’s helped me with my other teammates. They see me doing it, they want to come and join in, so we both get the work. That’s the main thing, I just like seeing other teammates get work as well."

Who has taken him up on it?

"We’ve pretty much had everyone," Becker noted, "Gabe Cherry, Siu, LT (Lone Toailoa), (Chris) Palmer a couple times, Luc (Bequette), they all love stopping by, getting in that extra work to make they get that we’re on point for the week."

That's been Becker's MO around the coaching staff and the team as a whole. The phrase ''doing things the right way' came up in nearly every interview done for this piece, as he's someone looking to maximize his and everyone else's talent.

"He wants to be good, it means a lot to help his team play better," Tuioti said, "help his team win. If you can get those kind of guys in the building, there’s a great culture being built for the young guys."

Becker wasn't always thought of that way, as the junior college transfer had played sparingly before the coaching change in January of 2017, and didn't impress Tim DeRuyter in the early going. That's changed, as the 6'5", 285 lb. Becker has started two games this year (BYU and Arizona), led the team in tackles and sacks during the spring game, and is often the first defensive lineman off the bench when the Bears want to rotate.

"When we first got here, just seeing him move I’m thinking, ‘’well this is probably going to be a guy that’ll be a backup for us, a great kid that works hard,’" DeRuyter said, "he’s put himself into a position where we feel good about putting him on the field."

Becker's been put into a bigger role not only in games, but during the offseason as well. Along with Chris Palmer, he helped lead PRPs (Player run practices) for the defensive line and he was the model the Cal staff used for technique during their summer camps.

"(It's) just that right there,"Tuioti said Wednesday, pointing over at Becker on the blocking sled ", he works at it every day, he takes the best notes in the meeting rooms, he soaks everything up, he’s a sponge. He wants to be really great in his fundamental technique, and it shows up on tape, shows up in the game, and it’s a testament to his hard work."

Part of that dedication comes through in diet, as Becker's living with Jordan Kunaszyk. Becker's taken to some of the strange concoctions that his fellow senior has made in their kitchen, including Kunaszyk's Sassy Eggs (a combination of eggs, banana, flax seeds, and steel cut oats, put atop a rice cake with some nut butter)

"We already ate pretty similar," Becker noted, "but the Sassy Eggs, that was different. It tasted solid, but for me I'd add a little syrup or honey to make it sweeter. I’ve had it a couple more times since then, but I add a little MN twist, a little sweeter with the maple syrup."

Becker's also been experimental in the kitchen alongside Kunaszyk.

"He has a lot of the same nutrition as me, he’s got some pretty cool creations himself," Kunaszyk said, stretching the use of the word 'cool,' "He has oatmeal with cottage cheese and peanut butter and stuff, he eats it every night."

It's another testament to the dedication of the redshirt senior, who should continue to play a big role in the defensive line rotation. Tuioti called him the glue of the defensive line, Kunaszyk said he's the epitome of a hard worker, but his head coach might have given him the biggest compliment of all.

"Rusty has invested in himself and the program since the day he got here," Justin Wilcox said, "He works extremely hard, we have a lot of guys that work really hard, but I’d be hard pressed to find a guy that works harder than Rusty."