The Florida Gators had quite the duo in 2023 between Graham Mertz and Ricky Pearsall on and off the football field. In 11 games, the duo connected on 64 passes for 948 yards and four touchdowns while establishing a close relationship off the field as well. This Florida duo had a great 2023 season but was broken up due to Pearsall’s departure to the NFL, so the Gators needed to add a veteran receiver through the transfer portal.
Florida Gators Turn To Wisconsin Receiver Chimere Dike As Gators Get New And Improved Duo In Gainesville
The Gators turned to Chimere Dike, who tallied 1,478 yards and nine touchdowns over the course of his four-year collegiate career. Dike’s best season came in 2022 when he caught 47 passes for 689 yards and six touchdowns. Who was his quarterback that year you might ask? none other than Graham Mertz. While Mertz unquestionably played a role in Dike’s decision to transfer to Florida, the veteran quarterback was making sure his friend was making the best decision for himself.Mertz had this to say about Dike recruitment:
“I told him up front, I mean obviously he’s my brother, I’ve known him, we’ve been through a lot of stuff together, but the first thing I told him when he came down here was ‘I’m not going to recruit you here, and don’t base this off me’.
Also saying:
“I want you to make the best decision for you and what you think your future need are. Obviously I want you to come here, but I’m not going to push it on you and I’m not going to sell you something that’s not authentic. I think when he came down here and saw the support staff we have, also the coaches, and players we have, I think that’s what drove his decision.
What The Florida Gators Are Getting From Dike Himself Not Just The Mertz Dike Duo
Wide receiver coach Bill Gonzales has already noticed the chemistry the duo has on the gridiron from the strong relationship they’ve built over their three years together at Wisconsin. Chimere Dike ran a 4.46 40-yard dash in his fourth year at Wisconsin, so Florida adds another speedy receiver to the roster with this fifth-year transfer’s ability to run.Chimere Dike is a receiver that can play both out wide and in the slot. The last time he had Mertz under center, Dike logged 78.9% of his snaps in the slot and 21.6% out wide. The very next year in 2023 Dike played almost exclusively out wide going out wide 98.7% of the time. When asked about his skillset Dike had this to say:
“I Feel like I’m well rounded, I feel like I bring a lot of things to the room, I think I have a high football IQ, I’m cerebral and I work well in space and I think I can win one-on-one matchups.”
Adding Dike to Florida’s receiver room seemed like a no-brainer given the chemistry they have developed over the years playing together at the University of Wisconsin. The Duo will share the field again for the fourth time in their collegiate careers coming up in 2024, and they’re looking to get back in sync and lead this Gators team to victory and have the offense looking more explosive than ever before.