In late November of 2021, the unexpected departure of then-head coach [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] sent shockwaves through the Oklahoma Sooners football program. Riley had been in charge for five seasons, inheriting the job from the legendary [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] in the summer of 2017 when Stoops retired.
Riley’s decision to become the next head coach at USC is one of the biggest and most surprising decisions in recent college football history. But, the Sooners bounced back, hiring [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] one week later. Venables, a defensive savant, hired [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] to be his first offensive coordinator, but the duo needed a quarterback to run the offense.
The cupboard was pretty empty in that regard. [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], who had been OU’s starter entering the 2021 season, was benched halfway through the year. He entered the transfer portal the day after the regular season ended, the same day Riley’s defection to Southern Cal took place. [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag], who replaced Rattler under center, would enter the transfer portal later that winter and decided to follow Riley and become a Trojan. Suddenly, OU, the home of some of the best quarterbacks in the sport’s history, needed one desperately.
They found one in UCF transfer [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who was convinced by Lebby to forgo transferring to UCLA and instead come to Norman. The pair had worked together at UCF back in 2019 when Gabriel was a true freshman, and still had a very good relationship.
Gabriel arrived at OU and was immediately handed the starting gig as the only QB on the roster who had substantial college experience. Oklahoma struggled in 2022, going 6-7 in Venables’ first season at the helm. Gabriel and the offense showed some bright spots, but not enough to win more than six games.
In January of 2022, Lebby earned a commitment from [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], a quarterback out of Denton, Texas. Lebby had offered him in December, and locked in the five-star phenom to be the quarterback of the future in Norman. A plan began to form, one that would be locked in when Arnold signed with the Sooners in December of 2022, and Gabriel elected to come back to Norman for the 2023 season.
The plan was simple and has been done plenty of times all over the country. Gabriel would start one more season in 2023, with Arnold sitting behind him and learning from the veteran mentor. Gabriel would go pro after the season, and Arnold would step into the role and lead the Sooners into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024 and beyond. His talent, upside, and potential seemed limitless, and Oklahoma looked to have their next guy.
But despite an excellent year where he improved as a player and OU improved as a team, Gabriel didn’t earn the kind of NFL grade he expected. He decided to use his final year of eligibility and stay at the college level. It’s a decision that happens a lot in college football, and Gabriel shouldn’t be blamed in any way. He made the best choice for his career. In addition, his offensive coordinator wouldn’t be returning to OU in 2024, as Lebby took the head coaching position at Mississippi State in November of 2023.
That’s where an article by ESPN staff writer Eil Lederman comes into play, featuring quotes from Venables’ media availability earlier this week about the circumstances surrounding Gabriel’s transfer to Oregon this offseason.
According to the article, “Gabriel asked for a meeting in the days following Oklahoma’s 2023 regular-season finale against TCU. During the meeting, Venables said, Gabriel outlined his plans to enter the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] and to opt out of the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl matchup with Arizona, citing the departure of offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and a desire to play closer to home among his reasons.”
Venables went on to say that it was Gabriel’s decision to transfer away from Oklahoma after not receiving the NFL grade he was looking for and that everyone was under the impression that Gabriel was going pro. The Hawaii native was also very far from home for two years in Oklahoma and is much closer now in Oregon. His close relationship with Lebby was instrumental in getting him to OU and their success together, and now Lebby had moved up in his career and wouldn’t be back.
“I did not know at that time that he wasn’t going to go to the NFL. … I didn’t even know I had to fight this fight,” Venables said. “I didn’t even realize that you were even considering coming back. And he says, ‘Yeah, but I just want to get closer to home.’ We hugged and shook hands. He was a little emotional and I was. It was all really good and positive … You can’t make a guy stay. The guy is trying to find the next thing; the next chapter for him. I’m sure there was probably some disappointment that (Gabriel) wasn’t more highly thought of in the NFL. He had an amazing year. He was a fantastic quarterback. But we didn’t run anybody off or things like that.”
Clearly, the two didn’t leave things on bad terms at all. Gabriel was asked about Venables’ comments this week and said, “Honestly, it’s so far gone; I just know God’s got me right where I need to be,” Gabriel said via OregonLive. “I got a smile on my face every day because I’m in Eugene, Oregon, around a bunch of great guys. Of course, those are guys (at Oklahoma) that are my brothers for life and guys I played with. It’s people I still talk to on the team — players-wise. You focus on what you can control and that’s right where I’m at. I’m happy. I know God put me right where I need to be, and I think that’s all that needs to be said.”
In an offseason story by The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani (subscription required), Gabriel’s mom said that Arnold was another one of the motivating factors behind Gabriel’s departure. She said the former Sooners quarterback was concerned “Jackson might leave (if Gabriel stayed), and he didn’t want that for the program.”
So, saying that Gabriel was “cast off” by OU isn’t accurate. All parties involved (Gabriel and OU) felt they needed to do right by Arnold and own up to the promise that had been made and the plan that had been set up well in advance. Gabriel was actually helping the future of the program by not standing in the way of Arnold’s ascension to the starting role, which might have caused frustration in the younger player.
This discourse had reached a head this week because of OU’s poor start to the 2024 season, which culminated in Arnold being benched in the week four loss to Tennessee after three costly first-half turnovers. [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag], who took Arnold’s place under center, has gotten the starting nod from Venables for week five against Auburn.
“Maybe this will give us a better chance moving forward,” Venables said. “I believe in Mike. I made that announcement for a lot of reasons. Certainly didn’t want a decision like that to hang over anyone’s head. We got to get better.”
Certainly, the Sooners have to get way better on offense. [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag], who replaced Lebby, have got to do a much better job of putting the quarterbacks in a position to succeed. But from Venables’ comments this week, it’s clear that everyone was just following the plan and keeping their promises to Arnold. Gabriel made the call to leave for a number of reasons, all of which are perfectly valid.
There was no choice made between Gabriel and Arnold. There isn’t much of a world where Gabriel was going to be coming back to OU in 2024, especially without Lebby. Arnold was always going to be the starter this season, and the topic has only come up because he’s had an unexpectedly rough start to the year and has (at least for the time being) been replaced in the lineup.
“I expressed to Jackson that this is a moment,” Venables said Tuesday. “Jackson’s going to have an amazing future and career. He’s going to play this game (for) a long time. All of that will work itself out in due time.”
Arnold still has a very bright future. He’s got all of the tools you look for but has struggled in some areas through four games. The turnovers against the Vols are what made the decision for Venables, and maybe Hawkins can perform better in the role.
Whether it’s at Oklahoma or not, Arnold can turn things around and have a very strong career. For right now, the focus shifts to Hawkins, as the true freshman now has an incredible opportunity in front of him. If he can take hold of the starting role, he could be the guy under center for a long time in Norman.
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