Florida football receiver Chimere Dike on the chemistry he has with Graham Mertz

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 two spent a year apart last season, Dike said he and Mertz got back on the same page quickly.

“The good thing about football is even in different offenses, a lot of the concepts have carryover, a lot of similar routes are ran," Dike said. "So, there'll be a new concept they're running that it feels exactly like one that we've ran 100 times before, so I'm definitely fortunate to have that. Obviously, he's continued to get better as a player and I'm excited to be here and be able to work.”

Mertz estimates he's thrown "thousands" of balls to Dike during his college career as the two practiced and played together at Wisconsin from 2020-22.

"Football is football," Mertz said. "I mean, you look across any offense, any scheme. I mean, the routes, the carryover, it's the same stuff. It's just different verbiage."

Mertz enjoyed a strong first season as starting quarterback at Florida, leading the SEC in completion percentage (72.9%) while throwing for 2,903 yards in 11 games with 20 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.

“Graham’s the complete field general," Dike said. "If you look at how detailed he is in the film room, his knowledge of the game is awesome. I love talking football with him. I’m a little bit of a nerd in the sense of understanding defenses and all that and trying to grow my football IQ. He’s even took steps since Wisconsin so being able to see him and his growth has been awesome.”

Florida football WR Chimere Dike considers himself well-rounded

At 6-foot and 195 pounds, Dike considers himself a well-rounded receiver.

"I feel like I bring a lot of things to the room." Dike said. "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.”

Dike was clocked as fast as 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at Wisconsin and ran as fast as 10.8 seconds in the 100 meters in high school.

“I did it all in high school," Dike said. "I played baseball, basketball, football, ran track ... I just did track in the spring and did the 100, 200, long jump at state, had some success there. It was fun.”

A two-time academic All-Big Ten honoree (2021-22), Dike earned his undergraduate degree at Wisconsin in communications and sports management.

"Academics, my parents instilled that into me," Dike said. "Both my parents are educated. My dad is a pharmacist, my mom is a nurse sop that was something that was really important for me growing up. Being able to have that and know that there’s a life past football has been great."

As an established veteran receiver, Dike could help fill the void left by another former transfer receiver Ricky Pearsall, who amassed 1,626 yards receiving and caught 9 TD seasons in two seasons at UF. Pearsall is projected as a second to fourth round pick in the NFL Draft later this month.

Dike said he met Pearsall before UF's Pro Day a few weeks ago.

"His attention to detail, his ability to be clean in and out of breaks, the way him and Graham had chemistry last year was really great to see," Dike said. "That's kind of what I hope to offer. I feel I’m going to continue to make steps towards that, but also, I'm just going to be me. I'm not going be Ricky Pearsall. I'm not going to be anybody else. I'm going to be myself and continue to get better.”