Just hours after Caleb Williams announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal, Dillon Gabriel flipped from his commitment to UCLA, turned east, and headed to Oklahoma.
The Sooners never looked back.
Gabriel, who had considered Ole Miss as a transfer destination before Jeff Lebby was hired away by Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners, became the quarterback plan for OU. With Williams in the portal, it was all but a foregone conclusion he was gone and the likely destination was USC. Venables and Lebby committed to Gabriel about as quickly as Gabriel did to OU.
There was no faux quarterback competition. The job was handed to Gabriel who’s thrown for more than 8,000 yards in his college career and 70 touchdowns in two-plus seasons at UCF.
The Sooners’ quarterback situation may not be as highly regarded heading into 2022 as it was last offseason, but Oklahoma has a good one in Dillon Gabriel. He comes in at No. 10 in USATODAY Sports Paul Myerberg’s quarterback rankings for 2022.
After playing in just three games last season due to a broken collarbone, Gabriel reunites with former Central Florida coordinator Jeff Lebby as the Sooners’ replacement for Williams. Gabriel has thrown for 70 touchdowns against only 14 interceptions in 26 career games, with multiple scores in all but four appearances. He’s been even better against Power Five competition, with 13 touchdowns and an average of 9.1 yards per attempt in four such games in his three years with the Knights. – Myerberg, USATODAY Sports
No. 1 on the list is 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. Just behind him at No. 2 is 2022 Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud. [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] checks in at No. 5. Surprisingly, and perhaps maybe not so surprising, is that Gabriel ranks ahead of [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], the guy who was the favorite for the Heisman heading into 2021.
Gabriel is in a good spot with a coordinator that he’s familiar with and experienced weapons in [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag], [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], and an offensive line that has four guys that have started a bunch of games at the collegiate level.
As we saw during Oklahoma’s spring game, Gabriel has the tools to be a successful passer for the Sooners in 2022. His command of the offense, his accuracy, and his arm strength will help the Sooners remain one of the best offenses in the country in 2022.
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