Oklahoma Football: Dillon Gabriel looks to stabilize QB chaos in Norman

Dillon Gabriel produced at an elite level at UCF. He’ll now step into the national spotlight after transferring into the Oklahoma football program.

Within the span of about six months, Oklahoma football and the quarterback position went through a wild, unexpected ride. First, preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and returning starter Spencer Rattler was benched after struggling through the first portion of the season.

True freshman phenom Caleb Williams replaced him and gave the Sooners hope with his sensational athleticism and high-powered arm. However, in a flash, he left to rejoin Lincoln Riley at USC via the transfer portal.

The Sooners’ quarterback room went from one of the most prolific in the country to a bit of a question mark. The waiting over who would take command of the OU offense lasted just a short time. Former UCF star and redshirt junior lefty Dillon Gabriel announced he was coming to Norman with two years of eligibility remaining, kicking off a new era of Oklahoma football alongside new head coach Brent Venables.

Gabriel also gets to join forces with his old offensive coordinator in Jeff Lebby who coached the aforementioned signal-caller as a true freshman in 2019. The duo will try to continue the quarterback success at the Palace on the Prairie, assuming he wins the job.

Beyond the two’s familiarity, Lebby was most recently the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, where he helped Matt Corral become a top-ranked quarterback for this year’s NFL Draft. Corral’s athletic skillset and smaller size match up similarly to the 5-foot-11, 204-pound Gabriel.

Although the UCF transfer doesn’t have the flash of a five-star recruit, he’s more than capable of the challenge and has a leg up on every other candidate. To start off, he’s a proven starting quarterback at the collegiate level, which is always a plus going up against talented but unproven freshmen and sophomore passers.

He brings high-end production to the table. In two years (2019-2020) and an injury-shortened, 2021 season, Gabriel accounted for 8,037 passing yards, 70 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, to go along with 372 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

What Sooner fans can expect of Gabriel is a decisive, efficient passer that can extend plays with his legs. The Hawaiian lefty used those skills to lead the Knights to a 17-8 record in his starts, despite having a mediocre to below-average defense.

In addition, he’s a player that’s improved every single season under center. Venables and the Oklahoma football offense hope that positive trend stays true for the upcoming fall. If it does, Oklahoma will have an early-round, NFL-caliber quarterback on its hands.

Before he broke his collarbone three games into 2021, he was on pace to set multiple career highs. Gabriel boasted a 68.6 completion percentage and career highs in rushing yards per game (41.6) and rushing yards per attempt (5.2).

In 26 career games, he was a stable game manager — noted by his career 5-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but he’s not too conservative either. He’ll take calculated risks, fire strikes into tight coverage, and attack down the field. Some good traits to have considering the Sooners have some big-play skill players returning.

Receivers Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops, Theo Wease, fifth-year tight end Brayden Willis and dual-threat running back Eric Gray could create another high-octane Sooners’ offense with Gabriel under center. It’s certainly a factor in why some have him ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the Big 12 for next season, despite it being his first season in the conference.

Oklahoma looks to be in good hands.