Dillon Gabriel coming to OU
The transfer portal taketh and the portal giveth. And for Oklahoma, it did both in the span of just a few hours at the quarterback position.
The Sooners have bounced back again after being rocked as quarterback Dillon Gabriel has flipped his commitment from UCLA to join OU, he announced Monday evening.
This comes literally just hours after OU star freshman quarterback Caleb Williams announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal Monday afternoon.
In his social media message, Williams said that staying at OU was an option but sources told SoonerScoop.com on Monday afternoon that the OU administration doesn’t feel like that is something that will happen.
OU couldn’t wait, and the relationship between offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and Gabriel, dating back to Lebby’s days at Central Florida, made it an easy connection to reestablish.
Gabriel, a three-star prospect from Hawaii, had a banner three-year career at UCF. He threw for more than 8,000 yards with 70 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions and added eight rushing touchdowns.
He threw for 814 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions before his season came to a terrible conclusion with a freakish injury where he tore his collarbone in the final seconds of a loss vs. Louisville.
He completed just under 61 percent of his career passes, but he was around 69 percent through the first three games of 2021.
Gabriel will be entering his fourth year of eligibility and will be a redshirt junior, but he will technically still have three years where he could play.
He only played in three games in 2021, so he didn’t hit the four-game threshold there. And because of the COVID-19 free year ruling, he could still have another year added in that regard as well.
Gabriel announced his intentions to transfer Nov. 27, and he initially committed to UCLA on Dec. 16, even enrolling in the program.
But none of that made it officially official. Following Williams’ decision, things progressed very quickly to bring Gabriel to Norman to reunite with Lebby and be guided by head coach Brent Venables.
“OU’s commitment to student-athlete development and its powerful track record of preparing players for the next level, including quarterbacks for the NFL, is unparalleled,” said athletic director Joe Castiglione and head coach Brent Venables in a joint statement press release.
“Jeff Lebby is one of the most elite offensive coordinators and quarterback developers in the country. With the players we know are returning and new ones on the way, we will continue to be explosive on offense under his direction.
“This program, which has won more games than any other since 1999, is blessed with talented individuals up and down the roster and on its coaching staff. We stand ready to build on the momentum of last year’s 11 wins and bowl victory, and to continue OU’s long-standing championship tradition.”
The Sooner signed four-star quarterback Nick Evers last month, but adding Gabriel will obviously allow Evers a chance to mature at his own pace, while giving OU immediate help because of what Gabriel brings to the table.
OU’s spring semester begins Jan. 18.