While the quarterback is one of many players in a football program, that position carries special significance on a team. Generally, the quarterback is the face of the program. And with that comes high expectations. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
That could be daunting coming into a program like the University of Oklahoma, but that hasn’t thwarted incoming transfer, Dillon Gabriel.
Speaking with the media yesterday, Brent Venables shared his thoughts on Oklahoma’s next starting quarterback, and the first thing that Venables talked about was his leadership mentality.
“He’s a leader. He’s a worker. He’s very ambitious. He’s self-driven, very humble, incredibly confident. You know, great self-awareness understands where he needs to get better.” Venables continued, “But guys follow him, you know, the best of the best, make others around them better. And he’s intentionally done that through relationships and through work.”
Leadership can come in several forms. Some players are vocal leaders, and others lead by example. Gabriel’s done both to make a statement in his first few months in the program. From Venables’ perspective, he understands the gravity of his position as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma. He’s doing everything he can to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him.
“But man, he’s, he’s a pro in every way. Just he knows he’s got to be the example as, you know, one of the leaders in this program as potential face of a program like Oklahoma being the quarterback at Oklahoma, it’s a big deal, man. It’s a big deal. And he knows it, and he values it. And he respects it,” Venables said. “He just works hard every day, he didn’t want to let anybody down and he’s betting on himself. And so he’s fearless. He’s got a go for broke mindset, go for broke attitude. And I’m really excited to see him go to work.”
In an offseason with so much transition, it helps that the Oklahoma Sooners have a quarterback who has played in a lot of football games that can be a steadying hand at the wheel. And he’s using that experience to lead by example on and off the field as the Sooners open up spring practice.
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