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Senior wide receiver Chimere Dike said reuniting with Florida football quarterback Graham Mertz factored into his decision to transfer to UF.
But it wasn’t the only factor.
Dike said he believes in the vision of Florida Gators coach Billy Napier and how he fits with the rest of the receivers on UF’s roster. That also played into his decision to come south from Wisconsin to Gainesville as a graduate transfer.
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“When I entered the portal, UF definitely was one that made the most sense with Graham,” Dike said. “He was pretty neutral. I wouldn’t say he was completely unbiased, but that definitely was a factor of me coming here.
“It was really a well-rounded decision knowing the guys in the room. Trey (Eugene) Wilson (III), K Jack (Kahleil Jackson), Baby J (JaQuavion Fraziars), 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.”
Dike is looking to duplicate the chemistry he had with Mertz at Wisconsin. In 2022, with Mertz under center, Dike had 47 catches for 689 yards and 6 TDs to earn honorable mention, All-Big Ten honors. That included a monster game against Northwestern, in which Dike finished with 10 catches for 185 yards and 3 TDs with Mertz delivering him the ball.
“That was just like a culmination of all the work we put in that people didn’t see and the success that we … obviously, we had a lot of good games, but that was a special one,” Dike said. “To get that kind of performance out of both of us in that game was awesome.”
Florida football WR Chimere Dike re-establishing chemistry with QB Graham Mertz in practice
Even though the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-florida-football-wr-chimere-080544736.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-04-10 08:05:44
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