As the days’ inch closer to the start of college football, one thing remains the same: quarterback play matters. In today’s world of football on any level having the right signal caller is crucial.
Oklahoma over its history has had quite a few quarterback that have been simply extraordinary.
Last year’s was supposed to bear the ascension of another OU QB ascending to college football greatness, but it never quite manifested. Things have dramatically changed in Oklahoma’s quarterback room since this time last year and now as they near closer and closer to the start of a new season most quarterback situations are ironed out. Including Oklahoma’s.
David Hale of ESPN took the liberty of ranking each NCAA Division 1 program’s quarterbacks into tiers instead of an individual ranking. With this, it helps loop similar talents together while accounting for nuance with things such as their team situations around them, expectations, and whatever else.
Dillon Gabriel falls into tier 4. Tier 4 was named: Definitely. Probably. Maybe. Alongside Gabriel were UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Kentucky QB Will Levis, and former Sooner turned South Carolina Gamecock, Spencer Rattler.
ESPN had this to say about their rationale for this group:
The previous tier was named after Larry David’s famous catchphrase from “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; this one is more reflective of the popular GIF from that show, in which David is visibly debating the pros and cons of a decision. Are these guys underrated? Overrated? Future NFL stars? Future XFL stars? Honestly, we’re still trying to decide. – Hale, ESPN
It seems the biggest theme of this group is that these guys are considered talented wild cards due to things like turnovers and possible soft scheduling. In a nutshell, no one really knows what to make of them yet but there’s talent in all of them. This year could really be the separation season to really and truly get an accurate read on who these guys are.
Rattler was benched at Oklahoma, but there’s a reason he was projected as the best QB in college football before last season began, and a fresh start could rejuvenate his career. … Levis’ overall numbers were strong (24 TD passes, 13 interceptions, 7.1 yards/dropback), but against teams that finished the year in the FPI top 40, he fared far worse (7 TDs, 6 INTs, 5.4 yards/dropback). … Thompson-Robinson finally seemed to blossom into a borderline star last season (Total QBR of 79.0, 30 touchdowns), but he played just two games against FPI top-40 teams, so it’s fair to wonder whether the numbers were more indicative of real progress or a soft schedule. … With Jeff Lebby as his OC in 2019, Gabriel racked up 33 touchdowns and more than 3,700 yards as a freshman. He’s reuniting with Lebby at Oklahoma this year. – Hale, ESPN
Gabriel still has something to prove, especially with the significant bump in competition, but the Sooners quarterback has produced in college and has done it with the guy he gets to work with again, Jeff Lebby.
It’ll be interesting to see how he performs compared to the other guys he was mentioned alongside as the season goes on. Gabriel will have more weapons and possibly a better offensive line than he ever had with UCF, which should lend itself to positive results.
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