Gators Receiver Dike Has Made Impact Wherever He’s Been.
They have all moved on since that late 2022 lunch at Café Hollander, a favorite spot near the University of Wisconsin campus where Badgers gather for Belgian beers and European-style comfort food.
Tight end Clay Cundiff, whose career was wrecked by injuries, retired from the game prior to the 2023 season. Center Joe Tippmann heard his name called a few months later in the second round of the NFL Draft, and Tippmann is now the starter for the New York Jets, snapping the ball to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, receiver Chimere Dike sensed what the lunch meeting might be about and wanted to offer his full support to quarterback Graham Mertz.
After four seasons at Wisconsin, Mertz informed a small group of close teammates that he was leaving to continue his career at Florida. Dike was the only player who would play for the Badgers last season, but he never took his eyes off Mertz.
“We stayed in touch,” Dike said. “Every single game that we didn’t play, we’d be in my living room with my roommates, and we were watching it. I remember watching the Tennessee game and being like, ‘Let’s go. That’s my guy.’ I’ve supported him all the way.”
Unbeknownst to Dike on that Madison winter afternoon, his days catching passes from Mertz were not over. He rejoined Mertz when he transferred to Florida in January, eager to see if they could reconnect the way they did at Wisconsin during the 2022 season when Dike led the Badgers with 47 receptions, 689 yards and six touchdowns. Dike’s numbers dipped to 19-238-1 last season.
“We kind of grew up together in college football,” Dike said.
“We kind of grew up together in college football,” Dike said.
Following Florida’s victory at Mississippi State last week, Dike smiled whenever Mertz’s name popped up after Mertz completed 21 of 23 passes and three touchdowns. Dike finished with three catches for 43 yards in the 45-28 win.
Starting in front of true freshman DJ Lagway in the two-quarterback system utilized by head coach Billy Napier, Mertz was sharp from the beginning.
Starting in front of true freshman DJ Lagway in the two-quarterback system utilized by head coach Billy Napier, Mertz was sharp from the beginning.
“He’s competitive, resilient, and he doesn’t give in to adversity,” Dike said. “He’s one of my best friends off the field, just being able to spend so much time with him, but that’s a guy that has been through some adversity the past couple weeks, and I think when you turn on the film, you can see the character that he has. I’m thankful I get to play with him for one more year.”
While Dike’s previous relationship with Mertz has highlighted most stories about the UF newcomer, his departure from Wisconsin was a giant leap. A native of Waukesha, Wis., Dike left home when he opted to transfer for his final season of eligibility. Dike was a team captain for the Badgers last season and grew up in the Milwaukee suburbs, his hometown a 70-mile drive to Camp Randall Stadium.
Mertz, who grew up in Kansas City, said it was difficult for him to leave because of the team’s culture. Still, when former coach Paul Chryst was fired and replaced by Luke Fickell, Mertz decided he needed a fresh opportunity and chose Florida.
First, he had to tell Dike.
“I mean, Chim’s my brother,” Mertz said. “I’ve known that guy. We’ve been through some great times and some hard times. I don’t think anybody knows me as good as he knows me. I don’t think anybody knows him as good as I know him. So that was not easy. I never thought I would be on a team with him again.”
Their fates aligned when the Gators, seeking to replenish a position group that lost Ricky Pearsall to the NFL and Caleb Douglas and Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman to the transfer portal, offered Dike via the transfer portal.
Soon after Dike enrolled, he and Mertz hit the golf course on a sunny winter day, a rarity from their days together in Wisconsin.
“We just looked at each other, and I’m like, ‘What are we doing? Like, how do we end up here?’ We’re on a golf course in January in Florida,” Mertz said. “We normally had like a month and a half to play golf in Wisconsin.”
Dike’s quick ascension on the Florida roster was evident following the season-opening loss to Miami. Following head coach Billy Napier‘s press conference, veteran defensive lineman Justus Boone and Dike were the only players to address the media from the podium in the team’s meeting room at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mertz was knocked out of the game with a concussion.
It was Dike’s first game as a Gator, but he did not avoid discussing a defeat that sent ripples across Gator Nation.
The thing is, I had the experience of having big losses before, and there’s kind of two choices you can make,” Dike said. “You can either concede and go into the loss, or you can respond from that. But I know the guys in our room, and I know the guys on our team are willing to grow from this, and that’s the only choice we have.”
One of his best friends growing up, Kai Lermer, died in 2019 from a rare undetected heart condition. The two spent countless hours together at Dike’s home and went to high school together.
In the summer of 2022, Dike held a youth football camp to benefit a memorial fund in Lermer’s honor shortly after the Kai 11 Bill, intended to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest deaths in young adults, was signed into law in Wisconsin. Mertz was one of more than a dozen Badgers who participated in the event at Waukesha North High, where Dike played football, baseball and basketball. Dike held the camp once again in the summer of 2023.
Kai Lermer is never far from Dike’s mind. He keeps his keys on a Chicago Bulls keychain that belonged to Lermer, who was 16 when he died. The keychain was a gift from Lermer’s father after Kia’s death.
Mike Lermer told the Waukesha County Freeman he is grateful that Dike is “still passionate about keeping his [son’s] memory alive.”
As the Gators move deeper into the season, Dike figures to continue to be a key contributor and a player fans will learn more about. The Gators won two of three entering their bye week and return to action on Saturday when UCF visits The Swamp.
Dike is off to a good start, hauling in 11 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. He has excelled on special teams, averaging 16.7 yards on six punt returns and downing two punts inside opponents’ 5-yard line.
He impacts in ways that surprise no one who knows him in Wisconsin. It’s the way Dike has always approached the game and life.
“I think if I can help any aspect of the team, I want to,” Dike said. “I’m a student of the game, and I like taking things and learning from different people. There’s so many different things that you can take.”
Leave a Reply