For the second consecutive offseason, Florida made use of the winter transfer portal to strengthen its roster. Twelve college football veterans were acquired to help the Gators go into the 2024 offseason.
Roles are being projected by all Gators for every transfer acquisition. The wide receiver Chimere Dike, who is playing with his old quarterback, Graham Mertz, again at Florida after the two played together at Wisconsin, is next on the list.
Dike redshirted none of his four seasons with the Badgers. As a result of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic eligibility extension granted to collegiate athletes who were active at the time, Dike transfers to Florida as a graduate transfer with one season left to play.
Dike, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound recruit out of Waukesha (Wis.) North High School, was widely regarded as a three-star talent for the 2020 class.
Dike, however, made an instant impression for the Badgers in 2020, starting six of his seven games as a freshman and hauling in 12 receptions for 189 yards and one touchdown despite his mediocre potential ranking. That year, he added six rushes for 48 yards.
As a second-year freshman, Dike reverted to a depth role, but he still improved his stats in 2021, hauling up 19 passes for 272 yards and another touchdown in 13 games.
In 2022, his last season with Mertz in the Big 10, he emerged as a full-time starter and major contributor as a result of the production.
As a sophomore, Dike led the Badgers with 47 receptions for 689 yards and six touchdowns; in those categories, he contributed 28.6%, 32.3%, and 31.6% of Mertz’s total productivity.
Dike’s offensive production suffered greatly in 2023 without Mertz guiding the Wisconsin offence; he only managed 19 grabs for 328 yards and one touchdown. Mertz continued to post single-season career highs for the Gators in throwing yards (2,903), touchdowns (20), and completion percentage (72.9%).
Similar to Mertz’s development, Florida wants to use head coach Billy Napier’s offensive philosophy to bring Dike’s skills to a new level. The Gators are counting on Dike to at least replicate the kind of play he showed in 2022 when Mertz was his quarterback, as they look to improve on the signal-caller’s stellar 2023 campaign.
