Tag: dillon Gabriel

Jackson Arnold has the right makeup to be great for Oklahoma

Going into his first year as a starter, Jackson Arnold has the makeup to make Oklahoma a contender in 2024.

It’s easy to take a few throws from one game and attempt to write a narrative about a player. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] received limited playing time throughout the 2023 season as the backup to [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], but what we saw out of Arnold was really good.

He threw passes in just four games, but those performances gave us an indication of the guy that Oklahoma will have at the helm in 2024.

Att/Comp Pass Yards Pass TDs INT Rush Yards Rush TDs
Arkansas State 11/11 114 1 0 39 1
Tulsa 2/4 55 1 0 0 0
BYU 5/9 33 0 0 24 0
Arizona 26/45 361 2 3 38 0

In his limited performance, a few things stood out.

1. Willing to sling it

Dillon Gabriel was really good for Oklahoma. So was Jeff Lebby. However, that combination was a little risk averse at times. It paid off in fewer turnovers, but there were times that Oklahoma didn’t attack the first down marker in key situations. Jackson Arnold doesn’t have that same risk aversion.

Jackson Arnold has a little more gunslinger to him. There isn’t a throw he can’t make and that will cause him to take some chances that maybe some other quarterbacks won’t. It’ll pay off more often than not.

Arnold showed he’s willing to throw 50-50 balls, taking advantage of his big receivers like [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag].

Sure, you don’t want your quarterback throwing three interceptions a game and having four turnovers, but it’s unlikely Arnold’s going to have that many games like that.

2. Arm to deliver it

As good as Dillon Gabriel was for the Sooners, there were a number of occasions where his lack of arm strength hurt the Sooners. The receiver would have to come back for the ball, creating contested catch situations when a receiver had more than a step on the defensive back.

As we saw in his action in 2023 and in the spring game, Arnold’s got more than enough arm to get the ball down the field to his receivers when they get behind the defense.

3. Intangibles matter

The stuff that makes up the greats in college football’s past are the things you can’t quantify on a stat sheet.

Brent Venables has raved about Jackson Arnold’s attitude and demeanor.

“Jackson is as talented of a player as there is in college football,” Venables shared with Paul Finebaum during SEC Day 1. “He’s a winner. He’s won his whole life. Smart guy. Great instincts. He’s got a tremendous skill set. He’s got great toughness to him. He can run it. He can throw it. And, again, this is a game of development. … Wherever he ended the season last year in his first collegiate start, he’ll be on another planet.”

Entering in the second half of the BYU game with little notice, Arnold was prepared. Lebby and the Sooners’ offensive staff didn’t ask much of their then-true freshman quarterback, but he came through when called upon.

Arnold has approached this opportunity with confidence and humility. He’s been about the work as he takes over for Dillon Gabriel.

Nothing is guaranteed in college football, but Arnold has the talent and the mindset to be a big-time producer at Oklahoma. Despite the challenges the Sooners face in 2024, they have a quarterback that could put Oklahoma in a position to make a significant splash in year one in the SEC.

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College football analyst has five SEC teams in the College Football Playoff

On3’s Andy Staples thinks that five of the teams in the 12-team playoff will be from the SEC.

College football is expanding to a 12-team [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

After decades of the polls deciding the national champion (1936-1991) and early attempts at creating a national championship game such as the Bowl Coalition (1992-1994) and the Bowl Alliance (1995-1997), the Bowl Championship Series was born. The [autotag]BCS[/autotag] lasted from 1998 to 2013, when the College Football Playoff was introduced and the four-team model stuck for a decade (2014-2023).

Now, the playoffs will feature 12 teams with five automatic bids for the five highest-ranked conference champions. The top four of those champions will get a first-round bye (likely the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag], [autotag]ACC[/autotag] and [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] champs). The seven at-large teams and the fifth conference champion (probably coming from the [autotag]Group of Five[/autotag]) will be seeded 5 through 12, rounding out the field with the first round of games.

It’s yet to be seen how the playoff committee will balance teams with better records coming from easier conferences like the Big 12 and ACC against teams with worse records coming from harder conferences like the Big 10 and SEC. One college football analyst, however, believes the Oklahoma Sooners’ new league will be well-represented come December.

On3’s Andy Staples gave 10 of his predictions for the [autotag]2024 college football season[/autotag]. Among the most notable was that the SEC would get five of the 12 spots in the new expanded playoffs.

“It’s not apples to apples because you can’t just port Texas or Oklahoma playoff appearances to the SEC because of how the automatic bids work and because we don’t know if those teams would have had a different record playing in a different league, but seven teams that will be in the SEC in 2024 (Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma) finished in the top 13 last season,” Staples said. “The No. 12 team is likely getting kicked for the highest-ranked Group of Five champ, but the power conferences are so big now that the champions of all four likely will finish in the top 11. That would keep anyone else from getting punted.”

Staples also backed up his prediction by touting the sheer competition that SEC teams will face every single week.

“The SEC’s schedule draw is the biggest reason for this prediction,” Staples said. “Alabama and Georgia got tougher conference schedules, but they’re also talented enough to handle them. Texas and Ole Miss appear to have CFP-caliber rosters and fairly manageable schedules. Missouri and Tennessee may not be perfect, but they’re going to be good and they fared well in the schedule draw. Oklahoma and LSU are Oklahoma and LSU; they’re almost always a threat to win double-digit games. That’s a lot of legitimate contenders, and it’s entirely reasonable that five-eighths of that group could finish in the top 11.”

Staples’ comments are felt by many in the new SEC footprint, hoping that the depth and competitive nature of the league will be rewarded.

For example, should a 9-3 SEC team with three close losses to playoff-caliber teams be left out in favor of a 10-2 ACC team that hasn’t played the same overall level of competition? That’s the answer Oklahoma and SEC fans are waiting for the committee to answer for the first time this winter.

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Where does Oklahoma’s offense rank in EA Sports College Football 25?

How did EA Sports rate the Oklahoma Sooners offense for EA Sports “College Football 25?”

EA Sports is releasing “College Football 25” on July 19 and fans are excited for the return of the college football video game series.

On Thursday, EA released its offensive rankings for the 25 best offenses in the game, and the list featured the Oklahoma Sooners.

“College Football 25” has OU as the 23rd best offense in 2024, and the 8th best offense in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. This comes following the departure of [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as offensive coordinator and the promotion of co-OCs [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag].

On the field, the Sooners lost quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred this offseason. He leaves the job to [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], a more than suitable replacement.

Offensive line is the key for the OU offense, as the unit will see five new starters from a year ago. [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag]’s exit in the portal was the biggest blow of the offseason. Nationally, offensive line has been the biggest talking point for the Sooners this offseason.

In the passing game, [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] are gone, but everyone else returns, including [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. Transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] joined this winter to form a very dangerous unit.

In the run game, OU loses both [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] to the transfer portal. However, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] is expected to take full control at running back after leading the Sooners in rushing a year ago. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] will get plenty of carries as well, as a change-of-pace back.

The Sooners will have an 83 overall offense in “College Football 25”, tied with Florida State, Virginia Tech, and USC. But they look like a group, that if the offensive line comes together, could see that rating skyrocket.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel makes major impression at Elite 11 camp as counselor

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel was among the biggest standouts at the Elite 11 quarterback camp last week.

The Elite 11 quarterback camp is arguably the biggest showcase in the nation when it comes to high school prospects getting an opportunity to display their talents on a major stage.

This past week, some of the top passers in the 2025 class — including Oregon commit Akili Smith Jr. — were out and about at Elite 11 getting some work in on the field, going through accuracy drills and 7-on-7 work.

While the focus was on the young QBs, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman says that it was a veteran QB who actually ended up stealing the show.

That veteran was Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel was at the event as one of the college counselors, and he made a big impression. On the first night, Gabriel and Sagapolutele, a fellow Hawaiian, made it to the end of their “rail shot” competition among all the quarterbacks and counselors.

“Dillon would’ve nailed that throw 27 times in a row, but when he got to the end with Jaron, he just kinda threw it up in the air so Jaron could win. He was awesome with the kids. Total rock star,” Stumpf said. “I think he exceeded expectations from what everybody would’ve thought of him from a throwing standpoint. He was a dude and a leader and super charismatic. All the high school kids were just raving about him.”

Of course, at this point in his career we know that Gabriel has all the arm talent that’s needed to be a dominant QB at the college level, but it’s great to see that he has the leadership side to stand out in a counselor role among kids who aspire to be as successful as he has been.

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Dillon Gabriel expected to be a top replacement for NFL drafted QBs

Quarterbacks were a hot commodity in the 2024 NFL draft and Dillon Gabriel is expected to be a top replacement for said signal callers.

The top of the 2024 NFL draft class was stocked with talented quarterback play. Six of the first 12 picks were quarterbacks, including Oregon’s own Bo Nix who was selected by the Denver Broncos.

But back on the college level, those teams that had a top signal-caller move on to the pros needed to replace the highly-skilled quarterback and while it was an easy process for some, it’s still a question mark on how those successors will do in 2024.

According to CBS Sports and their writer Blake Brockmeyer, the Ducks and their new guy behind center, Dillon Gabriel, is in the best situation to make good in 2024 and have a fan base forget about the old guy, at least for a while.

Dillon Gabriel, in what feels like his tenth year of college, brings extensive experience and execution of a tempo-based offense to a loaded Oregon team expected to make a deep playoff run. — Blake Brockermeyer

CBSSports pointed to the fact that Gabriel has nearly 15,000 yards on his resume, 49 starts and 125 touchdowns in his career. Having receivers like Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Gary Bryant, Jr. doesn’t hurt either.

Gabriel has also played in similar systems at Central Florida and Oklahoma as the system currently run by Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein makes it a unique opportunity for a senior transfer to flourish at his new spot.

Oregon and its fans he flourishes enough to where the Ducks are in the College Football Playoff and challengers for the national championship.

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Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman earn Athlon Sports preseason All-American selections

Danny Stutsman grabbed the first-team spot in Athlon Sports’ preseason All-America predictions.

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] will see plenty of preseason honors roll in over the next couple of months. The senior got some big-time recognition from Athlon Sports earlier this week.

Steve Lassan, writing for Athlon Sports, unveiled the publication’s All-America Team prior to the 2024 season. Stutsman made the first team at his linebacker position and safety Billy Bowman was a third team selection.

Back in December, Stutsman decided to return for another season of college football, changing course after initially choosing to enter the [autotag]2024 NFL Draft[/autotag]. His announcement on social media was met with excitement by Sooner fans everywhere.

Stutsman will once again serve as a veteran leader for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], as the head coach enters Year 3 in Norman. Stutsman will also be instrumental in helping to smooth Oklahoma’s transition from the [autotag]Big 12 [/autotag] to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Stutsman tallied 104 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss as a junior. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2023 and was also named to the Associated Press’ third-team defense.

Another player who could’ve turned pro but decided to stay, Bowman will have an opportunity to improve Oklahoma’s defense and his draft grade ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.

Bowman was another first-team all-conference player for Oklahoma’s defense a year ago. He was second in the nation in interceptions with six and led the country in interception returns for touchdowns. He also finished second on the team in tackles.

One former Sooner made the list as well. Oregon quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was named the second-team quarterback after transferring to Eugene.

Gabriel spent two seasons at Oklahoma, hitting the [autotag]portal[/autotag] following the 2023 regular season. Gabriel reportedly made the decision to leave because, according to Gabriel’s mom via the Athletic (subscription required), the former Sooners quarterback was concerned “[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] might leave, and he didn’t want that for the program.”

With the 2024 season quickly approaching, we won’t have to wait long to see if these current and former OU players live up to lofty expectations.

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Oklahoma the leader for 2026 four-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal

The Oklahoma Sooners have a long history of impressive quarterback play since the beginning of the Bob Stoops era. From Josh Heupel to Dillon Gabriel, and regardless of the offensive play-caller, the Sooners have had a number of dynamic passers at …

The Oklahoma Sooners have a long history of impressive quarterback play since the beginning of the [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] era. From [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] to [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], and regardless of the offensive play-caller, the Sooners have had a number of dynamic passers at the position.

And that’s helped them recruit at an incredibly high level. And despite the change in offensive coordinator this offseason, it doesn’t appear OU’s quarterback recruiting prowess is slowing down any time soon.

The Sooners look like a significant leader at the moment for four-star quarterback prospect [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag]. O’Neal, who just spent time in Norman at the [autotag]Brent Venables Football Camp[/autotag], told Rivals’ Marshall Levenson that the Sooners are his No. 1 team at the moment.

It’s still very early in the recruiting process for the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag], and O’Neal is being pursued by big-name programs from across the country. O’Neal mentioned that he has trips to Michigan and Ohio State upcoming. Given the success of those two programs in recent years, the Sooners will have to hold off the Big Ten powers to land their 2026 quarterback.

O’Neal is considered a top-10 quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class, but with his size and ability, he has a chance to be one of the top players at his position in the class.

More: Jaden O’Neal projected to land with the Oklahoma Sooners

O’Neal was in Norman back in April before attending the Venables camp last week. He put on a show with his passing display and it’s clear he and the Sooners have hit it off.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oregon RT Ajani Cornelius named to PFF Way-Too-Early All-America team

Ajani Cornelius, the Oregon Ducks right tackle, was named to PFF’s preseason All-America team.

Ajani Cornelius should be the poster child of the transfer portal.

After not receiving any FBS offers out of high school, Cornelius began his college career at Rhode Island, where he was elite. Then, with two years of remaining eligibility, he hit the transfer portal and ended up with the Oregon Ducks.

In his first season at Oregon, Cornelius was spectacular, and he looks ready to build on his skills in 2024. Ahead of the fall season, Pro Football Focus has named Cornelius to their Way-Too-Early 2024 All-America team.

Cornelius is one of three returning starters on the offensive line, along with left tackle Josh Conerly and guard Marcus Harper. Joining those three will be Iapani Laloulu at center, and likely Matthew Bedford at the other guard spot.

In 899 offensive snaps last season, Cornelius allowed just 11 pressures and zero sacks. Blocking for the run, Cornelius is still elite, earning a 73.1 run-blocking grade from PFF in 2023.

The right tackle position will be even more important for the Ducks this season because quarterback Dillon Gabriel is left-handed. Last season, Cornelius was blocking for Bo Nix’s sight side, but now he’ll have the more important task of covering Gabriel’s blindside.

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Oregon named of the the Big Ten’s biggest winners in the transfer portal

The Oregon Ducks rank high on 247Sports’ list of transfer portal winners and losers in the Big Ten.

Dan Lanning has been busy.

Since he was hired as head coach of the Oregon Ducks in late 2021, Lanning has had three dynamite offseasons in the transfer portal. 2022 seems like a quiet portal season until you remember Bo Nix was part of that transfer class.

2024’s transfer class, however, was by far Lanning’s most productive on paper. Since December, the Ducks have added two Marquee quarterbacks, one of the nation’s most talented wide receivers, one of college football’s top cornerbacks, and elite physical players on the offensive and defensive lines.

On Sunday, Brandon Marcello of 247Sports ranked each Big Ten football team by their 2024 net transfer portal performance, calculated by each team’s “net rating gain” from the portal. Oregon was fifth place in the Big Ten, with 14 new arrivals and 20 departures. Below is what Marcello had to say about Oregon’s portal season.

“If any two teams’ approaches in the portal are more alike than Oregon and Ohio State, we’d like to hear about it. The Ducks picked up their quarterback for this fall (Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel) and for the future (UCLA’s Dante Moore), and also added immediate help in speedy receiver Evan Stewart (98). Defensively, Oregon bulked up the already impressive strength in the trenches with Houston defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell (93) and on the back end they solidified coverage with Washington cornerback Jabbar Muhammad (94). How often does a team replace a 15,000-yard passer like Bo Nix with another 15,000-yard passer like Gabriel? It’s never happened”

Marcello mentioned Oregon’s approach mirroring Ohio State’s, which makes sense since the Buckeyes come in No. 1 on his list. Ohio State had 25 players hit the portal this offseason and only brought in seven, but all seven are key additions.

The Ducks will host the Buckeyes on October 12th, and we’ll get to see both schools’ transfer classes go head to head. Ohio State transfer running back Quinshon Judkins is sure to shoulder a lot of the Buckeyes’ offensive load, and for Oregon, almost everything will hinge on transfer QB Dillion Gabriel.

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Dillon Gabriel leads nation’s best QBs in key stat entering 2024 season

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is among the nation’s best QBs going into the 2024 season.

One of the statistically best quarterbacks in Oregon Ducks history departed this offseason, with Bo Nix leaving for the NFL and getting drafted by the Denver Broncos with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Replacing him is arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the nation leading up to the 2024 season.

Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon from Oklahoma this offseason, and he stands as the most experienced QB in the nation. He also has as impressive of numbers as anyone, throwing for 125 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in his five years.

Among all returning passers this year, Gabriel is also the leader in one of the most important metrics — QBR.

The names alongside Gabriel are certainly notable, as several are leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy in 2024.

When you pair Gabriel with the wide receiver talent that Oregon has, it’s enticing to think of what they will be able to do in Will Stein’s offense this year. While it’s always tough to lose a historic QB like Nix, it seems as if the Ducks will be in good hands under the new passer.

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