Two Gator rookies Make NFL statements in Week 17

It was a great Sunday for Gators in the NFL. Tennessee Titans’ rookie wide receiver Chimere Dike and Miami Dolphins’ cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. both had huge performances.

Dike has had a huge rookie campaign for Tennessee. Coming in Sunday’s matchup against the Saints, he had 2,269 all-purpose yards, needing just 48 to surpass Hall-Of-Famer Tim Brown.

On Sunday, the 24-year old rushed seven yards on one carry, rushed for 55 yards on four receptions, had a kick return for 33 yards, and a punt return for seven yards for a total of 102 yards added to his all-purpose yards to bring it to a total of 2,371 on the season, overtaking Brown’s record of 2,317 set with the Raiders in 1988 to officially set the NFL rookie record for most all-purpose yards in a season.

Dike has picked up right where he left off at Florida and is making defenses and special teams units from throughout the league take notice.

Jason Marshall gets his first interception

Also in AFC, Jason Marshall has been playing well with the Dolphins in 2025, and Sunday marked a milestone for him defensively with the first interception of his career against in-state foe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 23-year old on Sunday had eight tackles, four solo and four assists, and his first career interception as mentioned. That interception was run back for 24 yards and two passes defensed.

In total for his rookie season, the 6’0”, 204lb cornerback has 15 total tackles, 10 solo, and five assists.

Both Dike and Marshall Jr. were drafted by their respective teams in the 2025 NFL draft with the class that was selected from the University of Florida. Dike was selected by Tennessee in the fourth round (Pick No. 103 overall), and Marshall Jr. was selected one round later in the fifth round (Pick No. 150 overall) by Miami.

With one more game left in the regular season, both players look to end their 2025 campaigns strong as neither the Titans or Dolphins will be advancing on to the playoffs.