Chimere Dike hit the ground running with Graham Mertz, Gators
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When Chimere Dike finished his fourth season with the Wisconsin Badgers he figured it was time for a change. Dike is a Wisconsin native. He played four sports at Waukesha North and chose to play for the state university. He did that and earned a degree in communications but one more year of eligibility, Dike entered the winter transfer portal on the very first day it opened.
Joining Florida was a no-brainer.
It started with Graham Mertz. The two, according to Dike, have connected on “thousands and thousands” of passes but this time Mertz wasn’t throwing passes, he was throwing an invitation. The senior quarterback had already successfully campaigned for the Florida coaching staff to recruit Dike, once they did Mertz helped close the deal.
“I wouldn’t say he was completely unbiased, but that definitely was a factor of me coming here,” Dike said of Mertz helping to recruit him. “It was really a well rounded decision knowing the guys in the room. Trey Wilson, K Jack Baby J. All those guys with that talent. I push them and they push me and we grow as a group. That was also something that was really important.”
Their chemistry has caught the attention of Florida receivers coach, Billy Gonzales, too.
“I tell my players all the time, that continuity between you and a quarterback those repetitions are built over time. That quarterback gets a rhythm for who you are,” Gonzales said of Mertz and Dike. “Everybody runs routes a little differently. Everybody’s a little faster, some might be slower, some might be a faster step, but they’ve kind of hooked up and they got that rhythm back right now. They’re both looking really, really good.”
Chimere Dike hits the ground running
The concepts and routes are similar no matter where you go. Football is football but every coach or program has different terminology. With only one year left of eligibility, Dike needed to start fast if he wanted to make the most of his opportunity. Having Mertz in the huddle with him has flattened that learning curve. The terminology isn’t the same but Mertz has been able to relate it to a route the two have run hundreds of times at Wisconsin.
“He’s a year older than me, so he was there a year longer than I was. But even when we were young, like when I first got there, I was kind of in that second tier and Jack Cohen was the starter, so whenever we threw, I was throwing with him (Mertz),” Dike said. “And then the season came, I started to start and started playing a lot and then he started. So, we’ve kind of been in sync the entire process and been able to really grow up with each other.”
Their chemistry and familiarity have stood out this spring but even more than that, Billy Napier has been impressed with what Dike has brought to the program off the field.
“I think our strategy with the portal this year was, ok, they’ve gotta bring more to the table than just the production,” Napier said. “What are the other extra dimensions, right? From a leadership, and character, what type of things do they gotta bring to the locker room. I think that’s where Chim’s really separated himself. He’s a team-oriented guy that’s got leadership and character and he’s had a lot of production in the past.”
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