Tag: dillon Gabriel

ESPN tabs quarterback Dillon Gabriel as the Sooners’ top ‘instant-impact newcomer’

ESPN listed Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel as its “instant-impact newcomer” for the Sooners.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach already released his “way-too-early” top 25 rankings for the 2022 college football season where the Sooners checked in at No. 17.

Now, ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren shared which players are the biggest instant-impact newcomers for each of Schlabach’s “way-too-early” top-25 teams.

His pick for Oklahoma was UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The 6-foot, 186 pound signal-caller has thrown for 8,037 yards and 70 passing touchdowns during his three years with the Knights.

Gabriel was injured at the end of UCF’s third game of this past season against Louisville. He finished his 2021 season with 814 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and a 68.6 completion percentage.

In 2020, Gabriel had 32 passing touchdowns against just four interceptions and 3,570 passing yards. With Jeff Lebby as his offensive coordinator in 2019, Gabriel recorded 3,653 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Gabriel will reunite with Lebby at Oklahoma and he arrives in Norman as someone who has been an established starter in college football for the Sooners.

Here’s what VanHaaren had to say about the type of impact Gabriel will have on OU.

The Sooners have had quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams enter the transfer portal, leaving a clear path for Gabriel to start. New offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby coached Gabriel at UCF. Gabriel threw for 3,653 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2019 under Lebby, and now the two have a chance to put together an explosive offense once again. – VanHaaren, ESPN

Assuming Caleb Williams does in fact transfer away from Oklahoma, it essentially means the Sooners will have a different starting quarterback than the previous season for the sixth consecutive year.

Spencer Rattler technically bucked that trend last season, but, by the time the season ended, Williams had started the majority of Oklahoma’s games and finished the season as the Sooners’ unquestioned starting quarterback.

Gabriel isn’t just a plug-the-gap starter if he winds up winning the Sooners’ starting quarterback job. He’s someone that has started a lot of college football games, put up big numbers, has three years of eligibility remaining and ranks as 247Sports’ No. 15 transfer portal player in 2022.

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Oklahoma lands at No.6 in USA TODAY Sports’ ‘Way to Early’ top 25 for 2022

After finishing 11-2 and losing their head coach in the process, the Sooners place 6th in USA TODAY Sports “way to early” top 25 for 2022.

Just mere days after the 2021 season ended with the Georgia Bulldogs staking their undeniable claim to the throne atop the college football world by beating Alabama in the national championship game, the world is already looking forward to the next season. Our friends at the mothership at USA TODAY Sports released an early top 25 for 2022 (subscription required) as we head into the offseason. Here’s What Paul Myerburg and Erick Smith had to say about the Oklahoma Sooners.

Transition season doesn’t even begin to describe the changes in Norman. Lincoln Riley is gone after his fifth season as coach and heralded freshman quarterback Caleb Williams is in the portal. Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables arrives with a different approach that should make the Sooners better at stopping opponents. There are enough pieces to quickly become one of the top units in the Big 12 with Jalen Redmond and Woodi Washington among the leaders. The challenge to continue the program’s offensive success starts with new coordinator Jeff Lebby. Dillon Gabriel, his former quarterback at Central Florida, arrives in the transfer portal. Marvin Mims leads what should be a strong receiving unit. The offensive line has several vacancies, but has been an area of disappointment and it could improve under the physical approach of Venables. – Myerburg and Smith, USA TODAY Sports

The two college football analysts bring some valid points to the discussion. Redmond and Washington are undoubtedly going to have to be leaders on the field for Oklahoma to be successful defensively. On top of that, they’ll need bigger presences off the field in the locker room too.

With Dillon Gabriel in Morman, Lebby has at least one quarterback he trusts and knows well. The Sooners have to replace their quarterback as it’s all but a foregone conclusion that Caleb Williams will not be returning.

The offensive line poses some of the biggest questions. Tyrese Robinson and Marquis Hayes are off to the NFL. There’s not a ton of experience to bring in to replace them. Incoming transfer McKade Mettauer figures to be a guy who fights for a real opportunity to start having been at California and starting 28 games in a row before he transferred. The Sooners are also competing for the services of two five-star offensive linemen in Josh Conerly and Devon Campbell.

Coming in at No. 6 seems a bit high but if things fall their way and they are able to maximize some opportunities in the transfer portal, heading into the season as a top 10 team isn’t that far off at all.

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Oklahoma ranked No. 17 in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ top 25

The Oklahoma Sooners were ranked No. 17 in Mark Schlabach’s “Way-Too-Early” top-25 rankings.

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With Georgia’s 33-18 triumph over Alabama in the College Football Playoff’s national championship game in the books, the college football offseason is officially upon us.

That means it’s time to overindulge on rankings that don’t really matter outside of stirring the collective college football discussion pot.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach released his “Way-Too-Early college football top 25” and Oklahoma checks in at No. 17.

Schlabach wrote this about the Sooners’ 2022 season outlook.

The Sooners’ transition from former coach Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables might be a lot smoother if quarterback Caleb Williams sticks around. He has entered the transfer portal, although Williams said returning to OU remains an option. The Sooners weren’t taking a chance, however, and grabbed Gabriel, who threw for more than 8,000 yards with 70 touchdowns in three seasons at UCF. Freshman receiver Mario Williams also might transfer. Venables, who has never been a head coach, will have to address heavy losses on the line of scrimmage. Perhaps the team’s six best defenders are departing, along with the leading rusher and three of the top four receivers. The addition of Mettauer, who started 28 games at California, will help ease the losses in the interior offensive line. – Schlabach, ESPN.

Oklahoma has certainly seen its fair share of defections to the 2022 NFL Draft and to the NCAA’s transfer portal. Those departures probably aren’t done yet either as quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Mario Williams have been crystal-balled to wind up at USC.

It’s important to remember that there will also be more additions to the Sooners’ roster between now and the start of the 2022 season, too. Here’s our handy Sooners Wire transfer portal tracker to keep up to date with which players are going where.

Schlabach listed UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cal offensive lineman transfer McKade Mettauer, Hawaii defensive lineman transfer Jonah La’ulu and Missouri tight end transfer Daniel Parker Jr. among his key additions to Oklahoma.

Several 2022 signees were mentioned by Schlabach as key additions as well: running back Gavin Sawchuk, linebacker Kobie McKinzie and wide receiver Nicholas Anderson.

Schlabach’s “way-too-early” top five looked like this: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Michigan.

Oklahoma State was the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 9, while Baylor slotted in right ahead of Oklahoma at No. 16.

Two other programs with Oklahoma ties found their way into Schlabach’s top 25. USC was ranked No. 22 and South Carolina snuck in at No. 25.

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Sooners offer Arch Manning, the number one overall player in the class of 2023

After finally getting their feet under themselves, the Sooners have entered the race for Arch Manning, the consensus number one 2023 player.

After resetting and getting their feet under them, the Oklahoma Sooners appear positioned to look forward to the future in terms of recruiting and player personnel. They still have a lot of loose ends to tie up in regards to their 2022 roster, but with an entire bevy of on-field staff now in order, it’s full steam ahead for Oklahoma.

A major piece to their future is establishing recruiting momentum with this new staff and Oklahoma is looking to do that in a major way. While the previous regime sent him an offer, it’s common practice that a team offers the same player again once a new staff is in order. 

Arch Manning, the consensus number one player in the 2023 recruiting class, received an offer from the Oklahoma Sooners per Manning’s 247 Sports page.

The current offensive staff is led by offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby who is no stranger to Manning and his family. Lebby’s previous stop at Ole Miss put him in prime position to be right in the heart of a battle for Manning’s services. After all, he was the play-caller at Ole Miss, where Manning’s uncle Eli and his grandfather Archie are school legends.

We previously mentioned on the Sooners Wire in the immediate aftermath of Lebby’s hiring, what that could mean for the Sooners in regards to Arch Manning.

As previously mentioned, Oklahoma doesn’t and won’t run a completely pro system at Oklahoma but Manning’s traits, ability to process plays, leadership, and other skills would be fully on display for the NFL world to see if he was to land in Norman.

The Sooners had to offer Manning. He’s too good of a prospect not to receive an offer and Lebby’s foundation with the family gives Oklahoma more than a fighting chance to win his services when combined with how well Lebby’s quarterbacks have looked under his guidance.

A Manning commitment is the type of commitment that could lead to other five-stars and four-stars on both sides of the ball chomping at the bit to join the Sooners. A commitment isn’t guaranteed but the reward far outweighs the risk. And the risk for the Sooners is minimal on the big picture side of things.

Unlike the previous head coach’s recruiting rules, the Sooners don’t seem to care about skipping a year in which they recruit quarterbacks. Under Brent Venables and more specifically with Lebby’s offense, the Sooners look to be in on a quarterback every year, thus keeping them from being hamstrung if a single quarterback transfers.

Take their previous quarterback situation before the arrival via the transfer portal of Dillon Gabriel. Caleb Williams was the starter to end the season in their bowl game. His backup was a walk-on in Ralph Rucker, because the only other scholarship quarterback in Spencer Rattler headed for the transfer portal before the bowl game.

Williams entered the transfer portal just days ago and, for the few hours after, the Sooners had no scholarship quarterback with any collegiate experience. Lebby brought in Gabriel because of their previous time spent together at UCF and was able to flip four-star 2022 QB Nick Evers from Florida, but Lincoln Riley had no plans to ever have a 2022 recruit at quarterback come in before that.

In the 2023 class alone, Jaden Rashada and Jackson Arnold held offers before the offer to Arch Manning was even sent out. Lincoln Riley normally set his sights on one or two guys and eventually went all-in on one and one alone.

Lebby looks to be casting a wider net giving them real flexibility in the long run. Will Manning be the guy if he says he wants in? Yes. However, the Sooners should build relationships with others and not put all their eggs in one basket. And that makes a Manning commitment a luxury they can afford when you have multiple scholarship quarterbacks on your roster already and can survive natural attrition that comes on a year-to-year basis.

While the Arch Manning saga will be one to follow, it seems like one that won’t be solved anytime soon. With a support system filled with quarterbacks, the Mannings as a unit will be calculated and meticulous in their approach as they will want to get this decision right on the first go-round.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to monitor and update you as information rolls in. Buckle up as the Sooners’ race to find their 2023 quarterback could be a ride with a lot of ups and downs.

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Oklahoma reportedly expected to add Ole Miss staffer Matt Holecek as an analyst

According to On3’s Matt Zenitz, Ole Miss offensive analyst Matt Holecek is reportedly joining Brent Venables’ staff as an analyst.

Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables continues to round out his first staff. On3’s Matt Zenitz reported that Oklahoma is adding Ole Miss staffer Matt Holecek as an analyst.

Holecek has been an offensive analyst at Ole Miss for the past two seasons and worked as the Rebels’ assistant quarterbacks coach.

It means that Holecek is familiar with new Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as they’ve worked together for each of the last two years. Holecek also helped in the development of Ole Miss star quarterback Matt Corral.

Corral was one of the elite quarterbacks in all of college football in 2021. The Ventura, Calif., native passed for 3,349 yards with 20 passing touchdowns against just five interceptions.

Corral completed 67.9 percent of his passes and was up for a bevy of national awards. Corral was a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist, a Maxwell Award semifinalist and a Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist in 2021.

The 6-foot-2, 205 pound redshirt junior was also a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist, a Manning Award finalist and the Conerly Trophy winner in 2021.

During the 2020 season, Corral completed 70.9 percent of his passes, threw for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns. Corral also rushed for 1,120 yards and 15 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Prior to his two-year stint at Ole Miss, Holecek worked as an offensive analyst at Missouri.

Now, Holecek will get the opportunity to work with UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel has passed for 8,037 yards and recorded 70 passing touchdowns in his collegiate career.

There could be more news on the way in the Oklahoma quarterbacks room, too. OU recently offered Florida State transfer quarterback Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of Iowa State’s Brock Purdy.

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Oklahoma offers pair of wide receivers, Kyren Lacy and Cayden Lee

Oklahoma extended offers to Louisiana transfer wide receiver Kyren Lacy and four-star class of 2023 wide receiver Cayden Lee.

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Oklahoma isn’t wasting any time responding to fill the expected vacancy that would be left by freshman wide receiver Mario Williams if he does in fact transfer to USC.

247Sports’ Chris Hummer was the first to put in a crystal-ball prediction for Williams to USC after the 5-foot-9 receiver’s visit to USC over the weekend.

The Sooners extended offers to Louisiana transfer wide receiver Kyren Lacy and class of 2023 wide receiver Cayden Lee out of Hillgrove High School.

Lacy, a 6-foot-3, 213 pound sophomore, has 50 career receptions, 668 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over his two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In 2021, Lacy hauled in 22 receptions for 304 receiving yards with six touchdown grabs.

Lacy was rated as a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 51 wide receiver by 247Sports in its 2020 player rankings.

Since announcing he was entering the transfer portal on Jan. 8, Lacy has also received offers from the likes of Auburn, Houston, Ole Miss, LSU and UCF.

Lee is ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN. 247Sports and On3 list Lee as a three-star prospect. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound receiver is ranked highest by ESPN where Lee is regarded as the nation’s No. 219 player overall in the 2023 class and the nation’s 31st-best wide receiver.

The Powder Springs, Ga., product holds offers from Auburn, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and UCF.

Of course, Lacy would be another immediate addition out of the transfer portal if he chooses Oklahoma.

Lacy would join UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cal offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, Missouri tight end Daniel Parker Jr., Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu and Appalachian State linebacker T.D. Roof. Here’s a look at SoonerWire’s full transfer portal tracker.

If Lee commits to Oklahoma, he would join four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. out of Los Alamitos, Calif., and three-star interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates out of Durango, Colo., as a member in OU’s 2023 recruiting class.

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USC quarterback Jaxson Dart enters the transfer portal, clearing the way for Caleb Williams?

USC freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart has entered the transfer portal, clearing the path for Caleb Williams to join Lincoln Riley at USC.

With a visit to Southern California over the weekend, what seemed unthinkable a month ago began to feel possible. And with USC quarterback Jaxson Dart entering the transfer portal, it feels inevitable. Is this opening the door for Caleb Williams to follow Lincoln Riley to USC?

Seems like it.

In the statement he released when he entered the transfer portal, Caleb Williams made it clear he was looking for a place that could help him develop into an upper-echelon NFL draft prospect. Despite what’s gone down in the last month and a half, Riley still boasts three NFL quarterbacks, two of which will play in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs.

After just one season, Jaxson Dart’s departure from USC leaves an open door for the Trojans to bring in a frontline quarterback. Dart, a four-star quarterback in the 2021 recruiting cycle, played in six games, completing 62% of his passes for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions. Not an outstanding freshman season, but for a team that saw a coaching change after just two games and devoid of talent, it’s understandable that he wasn’t the most prolific passer in the Pac-12.

The transfer Sooners wide receiver indicated that he’d like Caleb Williams to be his quarterback wherever the talented true freshman signal-caller ended up. If Williams does end up at USC, he’s likely bringing wide receiver Mario Williams with him as well. Mario was in SoCal over the weekend as well for a visit with the Trojans.

The loss of Caleb Williams is a huge one, but it’s also one that Oklahoma prepared for and found an answer to with 2022 commit Nick Evers and transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. They may not have the same number of stars next to their name or get the Heisman hype, but they’re good quarterbacks that will help the Oklahoma Sooners as they embark on the Brent Venables era.

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Quarterback Chubba Purdy, brother of Brock Purdy receives offer from Oklahoma

Oklahoma continues to quarterback shop, this time with an offer to Ftransfer quarterback Chubba Purdy.

If you like to read between the lines, this may be the article for you. After a hectic week that saw the Sooners watch as Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal and saw Dillon Gabriel commit to Oklahoma just hours later, the Sooners are back in the portal shopping for yet another quarterback.

The new quarterback offer is one with a familiar last name. Chubba Purdy, former quarterback of the Florida State Seminoles, is the younger brother of recently graduated Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy. The older Purdy has been in some battles with the Sooners in recent years.

The younger Purdy may not be as accomplished at the college level as his brother is, but he could fill a very significant role for Oklahoma who still  needs another scholarship quarterback. Oklahoma will only have 2022 four-star Nick Evers and UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel on scholarship in 2022.

At Florida State, Purdy appeared in three games with one start. He was 27-of-53 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 19 times for 57 yards. He started against North Carolina State in 2020 and was 15-of-23 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown pass was a 69-yard pass that ended up being the Seminoles’ biggest pass play of 2020.

Purdy signed with the Seminoles out of high school as a 4-star prospect out of Gilbert, AZ. According to 247 Sports, Purdy was the No. 192 overall prospect, the No. 7 dual-threat QB in the country, and the No. 6 overall prospect out of Arizona.

Caleb Williams could return to Oklahoma but the Sooners landing one quarterback via the transfer portal and still shopping for another would seem to indicate the Sooners and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby don’t think Williams is returning.

Gabriel was insurance for Williams. This next quarterback looks like veteran insurance for Gabriel while Nick Evers acclimates himself to the college game.

The wheels on this situation are turning and it seems like the Sooners are doing their due diligence to cover themselves regardless of what Williams decides.

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Who will be the starting quarterback for each Big 12 team in 2022?

With the 2021 season behind us, let’s look ahead at who will start at quarterback for the Big 12’s teams in 2022.

The Big 12 will see a lot of turnover at the quarterback position heading into 2022. Turnover happens every year and while several teams will have new signal-callers for the next season, there remains a lot of familiarity with the guys who will start at quarterback in 2022.

TCU will have to decide between the experienced Max Duggan and the flash in the pan performance of Chandler Morris. Baylor will likely go with Gerry Bohanon, but Blake Shapen looked sharp at times too.

We’re nine months from the start of the 2022 college football season, but it’s never too early to look ahead. Here’s who we think will start at quarterback for each of the Big 12’s teams next season.

Oklahoma will face off against Casey Thompson again in 2022

After Casey Thompson’s decision to transfer to Nebraska, it sets up another showdown between the Sooners and Thompson in 2022.

It looked for a moment like Casey Thompson might wind up at Oklahoma after all.

After true freshman OU quarterback Caleb Williams’ decision to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal, Oklahoma was reportedly among Thompson’s transfer destination finalists.

The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman reported that Thompson was choosing between a group of finalists that included Oklahoma, Auburn, Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska.

Any hope of the Sooner legacy joining OU ended today when Thompson announced that he is transferring to Nebraska.

Instead of joining former Central Florida quarterback Dillon Gabriel as a transfer to Oklahoma, Thompson is set to quarterback against the Sooners for a second consecutive season when Nebraska plays host to Oklahoma on Sept. 17.

The 6-foot-1, 200 pound signal-caller is the son of former OU quarterback Charles Thompson.

Thompson completed 20-of-34 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 55-48 loss to Oklahoma in the 2021 Red River Showdown.

Thompson finished the 2021 season with 2,113 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns against nine interceptions. The former Southmoore and Newcastle quarterback completed 165-of-261 passes with the Longhorns in 2021.

Thompson will be the surefire starting quarterback in Lincoln after longtime Huskers starter Adrian Martinez announced several weeks ago his intentions to transfer to Kansas State.

Martinez passed for 8,491 yards and rushed for 2,301 yards in 39 games with Nebraska.

It’s an interesting twist for Oklahoma fans. For a split second, the thought of Thompson in a quarterback battle with Gabriel existed.

Now, OU will play both Martinez and Thompson again in 2022 with both quarterbacks wearing different jerseys from those they donned in the 2021 season.

Oklahoma’s trip to Nebraska is the return date in a home-and-home series with the Huskers. The Sooners topped Nebraska 23-16 last season.

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