Power Ranking top 30 quarterbacks in college football this season
By Nick Villano
2. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon Ducks
Oregon has become the land of transfers leading their team to greatness. Last season, Bo Nix went off and led Oregon to its best season in a long time. He put up eye-popping numbers that will be hard to match. Yet, they might somehow have an even more talented quarterback under center in Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel comes to them from Oklahoma. This was a player who is on his third team, starting his career as a highly-touted prospect at UCF. After a broken leg ended his Knights career, he took over an Oklahoma team in transition after Lincoln Riley darted for USC. Gabriel was the exact presence they needed, and last season he had his best year yet (3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns).
It may have hurt Oregon to see Nix leave for the NFL, but they are getting someone with just as much experience and might be a little more talented overall. Just like Gabriel helped Oklahoma transition from one era to another, he’ll be tasked with helping the Ducks transition to life in the Big Ten. The defenses will be tougher. The weather will be a little harsher, and we’ll see if Gabriel can play in those types of elements (he actually lost in West Virginia in 2022 in a game they were favored in).
In November, Oregon has to go to both Michigan and Wisconsin in November. We don’t want to be facetious, but those two games will define the end of Gabriel’s career. He’s hoping to be in the National Championship conversation, and with 12 teams making the playoff, anything less than that would be a colossal disappointment. The expectations are high, but Gabriel is a quarterback who can handle this.