He made a commitment not long after trying on his father’s college helmet as an elementary school student, and now CJ Dippre is living his football dream.
The Lakeland grad and former University of Maryland and University of Alabama standout, Dippre, is headed to Super Bowl LX.
Dippre and the New England Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California.
“It’s unbelievable,” Dippre said. “Just to have an opportunity to play for an NFL team is incredible. But to be in a Super Bowl, I am just really grateful. After not being drafted, being able to choose where I wanted to go, and trusting what Coach (Mike) Vrabel does and having so much respect for him, it has been a tremendous journey. To be a part of this team and watch it grow and know how hard everyone has worked to get this far in one year is awesome.”
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Long before his son morphed into a 6-foot-5, 256-pound tight end, Chris Dippre could sense he might have a future playing football.
A former standout at Scranton Technical High School, who played at the University of Connecticut, Chris Dippre noticed CJ stood out in a crowd.
“He always had the size,” he said. “I would always go to the elementary school to pick him up, and he was always a lot taller than everyone. At around sixth grade, he looked like he was one of the fathers coming out of the school.”
It didn’t take long for Dippre to use his size to his advantage.
He excelled as a member of the Junior Chiefs football team, dominated inside on the basketball team, and became a record-setting thrower in track and field.
By earning success throughout his climb, Dippre undertook a disciplined lifestyle. He rarely went out socially, became obsessed with weight training, and was determined to work toward lofty his goals.
“I never forced it upon him,” his father said. “He hit the weights at 12-13 years old, and he embraced it. He set records for himself and worked hard toward achieving them.”
At Lakeland, Dippre helped rebuild the football program to a championship level, becoming a sought-after college prospect in the process.
His combination of speed and size at 6-5, 250 pounds, coming out of Lakeland, earned him 17 scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs. He committed to Maryland in the spring of 2020.
In his senior year with the Chiefs, the former quarterback transitioned to tight end, the position projected him for at the next level. He finished that season with 16 receptions for 212 yards. Defensively, he recorded 14 tackles for loss and four sacks in an abbreviated schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Maryland, Dippre played in 13 games as a freshman, and in 2022, he had 30 receptions for 314 yards and three touchdowns. He entered the transfer portal and chose Alabama. There, he excelled as a blocker, started 24 career games, had 32 receptions for 443 yards, and helped the Crimson Tide win the SEC championship and the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff in his junior year.
His stock rose at the 2025 NFL Combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, recorded a vertical jump of 34.5 inches, and impressed with 32 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
But he did not get drafted. However, within an hour after it concluded, though, he signed with the New England Patriots.
“That was the first time that I faced serious adversity as an athlete,” Dippre said.
New England had established tight ends in Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. Dippre spent a lot of time competing during the preseason, learning to be a professional football player.
“We have a lot of great veterans, and I sought a lot of advice,” Dippre said. “I just kept putting my best foot forward and kept putting in the work to play and contribute.”
The Patriots waived Dippre in late August when the roster was trimmed to 53 players. He immediately joined the team’s practice squad.
“Being on the practice squad entails you doing the same meetings, following the same schedules, and practicing with the team,” Dippre, 23, said. “The offense goes against the starting defense. You are going against the starters and getting better and preparing yourself and the team.”
By November, Dippre received interest from other NFL teams. To keep him in the franchise, the Patriots signed him to their 53-man roster.
“I came out of a tight end meeting, and the GM (Eliot Wolf) said they were offering me a contract,” Dippre said. “All of the hard work I put in was paying off. This was the next step in the journey. To get to call my family and everyone I love who has supported me was an unbelievable feeling.”
Dippre is listed as the No. 3 tight end on the depth chart, but was inactive on game day for much of the late season. He saw his first professional action Dec. 28 against the New York Jets, playing on offense and special teams.
“”You go out there on the field in an NFL stadium in an NFL uniform, it was quite a feeling,” Dippre said. “I had been through a lot with not being drafted, going through as an undrafted free agent, and getting cut. That game was a full-circle moment for me.”
A week later, Dippre played in a 38-10 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Dippre was inactive for all three of the Patriots playoff wins, but was on the sidelines, including last week when they beat the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game.
In the days leading up to kickoff, Dippre will resume his responsibilities on the practice field and take part in team activities.
“It was my dream to play in the NFL,” Dippre said. “We are playing in the Super Bowl. Now the focus is to go win the Super Bowl. It is an opportunity to think about where you come from, all the sacrifices, and the time you put in to earn a chance to play at the highest level.
“To be able to show that it is possible is important. I made the right decisions and surrounded myself with good people. I dedicated my life to doing this and made it come true.”