Former Wisconsin Badger Chimere Dike having Big Impact with Florida Gators

Florida Gators wide receiver Chimere Dike is not just playing well on the field, he's proving to be an invaluable mentor to the younger players.

Florida Gators wide receiver Chimere Dike arrived from the Wisconsin Badgers via the transfer portal. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida Gators wide receiver Chimere Dike understands not just the game of football, also the environment of the game. The graduate transfer from Wisconsin fully realizes not only what the two-week break means but the need to analyze what worked, strengthen out what didn',t and use the days in-between games to fix what appears broken.

After their last win, the Florida wideout sat down to discuss what he sees. 

Ol' Mo

Imagine what hellscape would surround the football program, if they didn't manage to throttle Mississippi State. Too much momentum is a buzzword, a coping concept that people fall back on, like watching Florida State games from the late 90s. 

Meanwhile, Dike buys in. 

“I think it was definitely huge, you know, I think it’s, obviously you can create momentum going into the bye week and, you know, when you go through adversity, to be able to respond, play more like the team that we know we’re capable of playing like, and there’s definitely things to clean up, but like we have this week to do that and get back to work,” Dike said earlier this week.

We Before Me

The consummate team player, Dike grasps the notion that successful offenses must not fall into ball-dominant tendencies. Spreading the ball around helps open up the game for the entire unit. 10 different receivers had at least one catch against Mississippi State.

"Yeah I mean, obviously, you know, I feel like we have a deep group in our receiver room," Dike said . "Tight ends had a great day today, too, the running backs we had I think four of them had a touchdown or a lot of yards, and I think that we were playing in the SEC and going into these games, when you’re going into the fourth quarter, we needed that, so it’s really good for our offense, really good for our team.”

Dike also heaped praise on two younger players that should factor greatly down the stretch, wide receiver Aidan Mizell and quarterback DJ Lagway.

“Yeah I mean I’ve seen Aidan just continue to grow and take steps," said Dike. "You know, obviously he has the speed and the size and the things you’re looking for like that, but when you see a guy being able to come in and consistently work, get better week to week, I think that’s encouraging for the future. He played really well today, I’m proud of him. I think going forward he’s going to be a huge part of our team.”

On Lagway:

“I mean, I’ve said it before, like, you know, my favorite thing about DJ isn't just his talent and his ability," Dike said. "It’s the way that he approaches the game, the work that he puts in every single day, and he’s a humble kid. And to be 19-years-old, I think he just turned 19 like a couple weeks ago, and be 19 and be able to handle yourself in this environment, handle yourself every single day at the facility, with all the hype that he received and all the people patting on his back, that speaks to his parents and the way he was raised.” 

Bottom Line

Chimere Dike will impact the Gators, long after he leaves town. The presence of an approachable and affable veteran to show underclassmen the ropes go a long way into building a solid foundation for the future.

While he continues to help the Gators in the passing game and returns, Dike's mentoring of his less-experienced teammates shows exactly who he is.