For the second time in three seasons, Dan Lanning and the Oregon football team have tested the transfer portal for a proven starter at quarterback, and for the second time in three seasons, the Ducks found their guy.
Former Oklahoma and UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel announced Saturday morning his intentions to transfer to Oregon. He will be the runaway favorite to succeed Bo Nix as the Ducks’ starter in 2024.
One of the top quarterbacks on the market, Gabriel was one of five FBS players to account for more than 40 touchdowns and is one of the most experienced signal-callers in college football history. If Gabriel starts every game for the Ducks in 2024, he could very well pass Nix’s career starts record of soon-to-be 61.
Gabriel has 49 starts between stints at UCF and Oklahoma.
Dillon Gabriel’s road to Eugene: what the quarterback brings to Oregon’s offense
A star before he even arrived in Norman, Gabriel was a two-year starter at UCF, throwing for 3,500 yards in each of his first two seasons for the Golden Knights to go along with 61 touchdowns and 11 interceptions combined between those two years.
Gabriel started his junior season strong before breaking his clavicle just three games in.
After rehabbing from his injury, Gabriel decided to test the portal for the first time and immediately took the reigns of Oklahoma’s offense in 2022. He threw for 6,828 yards over his last two seasons in Norman, with 55 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
He was even more proficient as a runner, scoring 18 touchdowns and rushing for 688 yards over those same two years, nearly doubling his output at UCF.
Following his second regular season in Norman, Gabriel announced he would be testing the portal waters once again and said Saturday that destination would be in Eugene.
Gabriel is the next in a line of Hawaiian-born Duck quarterbacks, with the last being Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
Gabriel, along with LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Nix, Liberty’s Kaidon Salter, and USC’s Caleb Williams, accounted for more than 40 total touchdowns with 42 last season – fourth in the FBS. After a 6-7 season in his junior campaign under first-year head coach Brent Venables, Gabriel led a resurgent Sooner team to a 10-2 season last year.
A dangerous run threat, Gabriel had 12 rushing touchdowns this season to go along with 30 passing scores. He had the fifth-highest passing efficiency rating in the NCAA this year as well.
What does this mean for Oregon?
Other than his talent, Gabriel’s acquisition will also likely have effects on the Ducks’ roster.
Gabriel is a proven starter at the Division I and now Power Five level. With Nix set to graduate and likely become a first round NFL draft pick, questions about who the next Oregon signal caller will be are all but answered.
So, what does that mean for guys like Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving, and others that have decisions to make on entering the draft as underclassmen?
Though those two and others that have similar decisions to make could still decide to move on to the next level, playing with an experienced quarterback next season in the Big Ten could be a tantalizing opportunity.
The Ducks are also in the mix for several other standout transfers and could more easily sway them to Eugene with Gabriel’s announcement.
On the flip side, Gabriel’s arrival could mean the departure of several quarterbacks already on the roster. Oregon backup and former blue-chip recruit Ty Thompson posted a cryptic message on social media Saturday after the Gabriel announcement, and with two years of eligibility left, could test the transfer portal.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.