When Dillon Gabriel takes the field on Saturday against UTEP, it will mark his 26th start and 27th game at the collegiate level.
He’s seasoned and has been productive. He’s certainly one of the ten best college quarterbacks right now. Reunited with Jeff Lebby, Gabriel and the Oklahoma offense are ready to roll.
CBS Sports agrees that Gabriel is one of the ten best QB’s in the country. Gabriel comes in at No. 7 in the first edition of their QB Power rankings. According to Tom Fornelli, the rankings are based on “highly-scientific criteria, including how well they’re playing, how well their teams are playing, their statistical profiles, and those aforementioned vibes, baby.”
Notable names ahead of him include the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Bryce Young and former Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud. Devin Leary, Caleb Williams, Hendon Hooker, and Grayson McCall round out the group in front of Gabriel. Fornelli had this to say in his excerpt about Gabriel:
Gabriel missed nearly the entire 2021 season, but his prior performances at UCF and potential in Jeff Lebby’s offense make him deserving of placement. There aren’t many things in life you’ll see that are more beautiful than his deep ball down the left sideline. It’s up there with a sunset over the Pacific Ocean and wherever Instagram models are paid to be this weekend. – Fornelli, CBS Sports
The marriage between Lebby and Gabriel produced 3,653 passing yards (UCF freshman record), 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for a 156.9 efficiency rating. With better weapons in Norman and a better understanding of Lebby’s offense, Gabriel should have a monster season. Add that to the knowledge Lebby has gained since leaving UCF, and we could see some insane fireworks this season. Gabriel should rise quite a few times in these rankings, and it’s possible by year’s end, he’s much higher than 7th.
[listicle id=70000]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.