After a spring game that provided some entertaining moments, the Oklahoma Sooners have some intriguing position battles at offensive line, defensive line, cornerback, and safety.
One place where the starter is locked in is at quarterback. Dillon Gabrel is QB1 for Oklahoma and enters his second year in the Big 12. Regional Editor Patrick Conn over at College Sports Wire believes Gabriel is the second-best signal-caller in the conference. Gabriel comes in at No. 2 behind Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Gabriel was a huge acquisition for the Sooners prior to the 2022 season. A move that almost didn’t happen after the former UCF passer originally committed to transfer to UCLA. But as has been the case for a good chunk of his collegiate career, he missed time due to injury. Of course, that injury occurred due to a late hit by TCU during their game. The Big 12’s leading passer is hoping for a repeat of last year if Oklahoma wants to avoid back-to-back losing seasons. – Conn, College Sports Wire
Oklahoma enters year two under Venables looking to improve in every facet. Last year’s team was the worst in 20+ years. Bringing back their quarterback will help the Sooners rebound from their 6-7 season.
Improving his pocket presence was a point of emphasis for Gabriel this offseason. Making more routine throws consistently would also help the Sooners’ offense reach another level of production.
If Gabriel can do those two things and the Sooners find consistent playmakers to replace Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis, and Eric Gray, Oklahoma will score a plethora of points in its final season in the Big 12.
Gabriel won Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year by the league’s coaches and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition. He was also named AP Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and garnered second-team all-league acclaim from the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus.
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