Corey Collier Jr. is the latest recruit to commit to Florida with a Chucky doll (WATCH), a tradition started by former UF defensive tackle Dominique Easley.

In a two-part series, Gators Territory looks at how the horror movie character made its way to Gainesville and has become a staple of the Gators football program.

PART I: Dominique Easley birthday gift takes on life of its own

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When his Florida career came to an end, former defensive lineman Dominique Easley designated Dante Fowler Jr. as the “Conductor of Chucky” and left his doll with him.

Easley told Gators Territory that Fowler made it even more popular, and was also in charge of assigning it to the next player. Chucky stayed on the defensive line after Fowler, who passed it down to Caleb Brantley and CeCe Jefferson. Defensive end Jordan Sherit also got his hands on the doll, but it wasn’t limited to one position group. Running back Jordan Scarlett and defensive back Chauncey-Gardner Johnson also took possession of Chucky.

“I remember the first time I saw somebody else with it besides Dante,” Easley said. “I was like, ‘Dang, they’re really running with it.’ I definitely did not expect it to be like this.”

Current Gators outside linebacker Andrew Chatfield took the tradition to a new level on National Signing Day in 2018, committing to UF with the Chucky doll live on ESPN. Chatfield remembered it from the Easley era and wanted to put a stamp on Dan Mullen’s first recruiting class.

“The program was down at the time,” Chatfield said. “Coach Mullen and these great coaches from the past we’re trying to bring Florida back. So I was like, ‘This is the perfect time to bring out the Chucky doll and blow it up.’”

Chatfield wasn’t the only American Heritage player who had a doll that day. His teammate, four-star defensive tackle Nesta Silvera, decided to stick with his pledge to Miami instead of flipping to Florida.

A month earlier, Chatfield bought Chucky for Silvera in hopes of him making the switch.

“I got two of them, one for me and one for him,” Chatfield said. “I was hoping he would come with me to Florida, but it is what it is. He made his decision and I’m proud of him regardless.”

After the announcement ceremony, a reporter asked Nesta if he realized it was a UF tradition.

“I understand that,” Nesta responded. “I’m starting it as a Hurricane tradition. I ain’t worried about the Gators no more. ... It’s mine now.”

Nesta isn’t the first recruit to try and start a Chucky trend at another school. The nation’s top prospect in the Class of 2015, Byron Cowart, bought himself a doll because of Easley and Fowler, but then signed with Auburn over Florida and brought it to the Plains.

“I’ve seen kids from other schools trying to use it,” Easley said. “It’s kind of crazy to me, but it is what it is. I didn’t know it would get like this.”

Chatfield never asked Nesta for the doll back and said he didn’t discourage him from taking it to Miami. He understands why players such as him and Cowart like Chucky.

As Oscar Wilde once said, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

“When people see something dope, everybody is going to want to copycat,” Chatfield said. “I don’t mind. We’re all young players and we’re always trying to find a spark.

“But at the end of the day, everybody knows it’s a Florida thing. When a recruit brings that doll out, you already know where they’re going.”

Chatfield started that trend in 2018 and three more prospects continued it in the 2019 class. Lakeland teammates Lloyd Summerall and Keon Zipperer committed with Chucky during the early signing period, as did Rivals100 member Khris Bogle when he flipped from Alabama to Florida on signing day.

Summerall and Zipperer were inspired by Chatfield’s doll.

“I remember they came to Florida and I was hanging out with them on their visit,” Chatfield said. “They saw the Chucky doll and were like, ‘Bro that’s hard! I need one!’ They both were saying that.

“And I was like, ‘Don’t worry. If you come here, you’ll get it.’ And when Lloyd and Zip announced, they both committed with the Chucky doll. It was crazy how that happened.”

Like Easley, Summerall was a fan of the Child’s Play movies before Chucky became associated with Gators football. He also knew about the history with Fowler and wanted to keep the tradition going at UF, especially after seeing Chatfield’s doll.

A couple months before their decision, Summerall and Zipperer attended the 2018 Florida-LSU game as a party of four.

“The fans were very entertained by the dolls and that we had them. They felt like we were for sure coming to Florida by having Chucky,” Summerall said. “When I saw pictures of Fowler with it, I was like, ‘Dang, that’s menacing.’ I like the savageness of the doll. I like what it represents.

“But recruits see us with the dolls and they just think, ‘I want to get one.’ I see that a lot with guys from other schools, but it just doesn’t look right, honestly. You can’t really steal what’s already set in stone. It’s been here and it’s been our tradition.”

The tradition has evolved over the years. Instead of one Chucky, there’s now multiple dolls on the team. Summerall said eight players have their own, including Bogle, Chatfield, Zipperer, Kaiir Elam and Gervon Dexter.

Easley also used to keep Chucky in his locker as a pre-game ritual. The current Gators get creative with their dolls, including one time when they sat Chucky against the goal post and had him staring down the opposing team during warmups.

“That’s a scary sight,” Chatfield said. “We definitely do bring it on the field. If it’s a big rivalry game and we’re hype at the moment, we just bring Chucky out.

“It’s really supposed to be one doll that we pass down. But the players were like, ‘Nah, it’s straight.’ We all can have a doll because we all carry that mentality.”