VIDEO: Mariota, Gabriel crucial to Oregon's rise
Oregon’s Hawaiian QB legends — Click to watch the story
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PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon made it clear in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail: 2024 is a reloading year in Eugene, not a rebuilding year.
Oregon followed the 2023 season with a strong recruiting class, highlighted by the transfer-portal triumph of signing QBs Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore.
Replacing Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix at QB is no small task. In the afterglow of signing Gabriel and Moore, it's been said the Oregon QB room is at its strongest since 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota took over for Darron Thomas more than a decade ago.
“What's impressed me the most about Dillon is his ability to connect, not just in our program but outside of our program.”
— Dan Lanning, Oregon Head Coach
It’s also been said that Gabriel is a good match with Oregon’s game plan. A healthy Oregon squad looks to be the strongest supporting cast of Gabriel's career.
“What's impressed me the most about Dillon is his ability to connect, not just in our program but outside of our program,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Whether it’s taking an offensive retreat and taking our players to different parts of Oregon to throw the ball around in fellowship, or having the managers over to his house to watch a fight or a meal. He's really done a great job of connecting quickly.”
Preseason Player of the Year
Before taking his first snap in the Big Ten, Gabriel was selected B1G preseason Player of the Year
No rebuilding year, Gabriel proved his right-now talent, Top 25 instant-starter ability at Oklahoma in 2023 — stepping up immediately off his transfer from Central Florida.
Gabriel was sixth nationally in 2023 passing production, with a last-second touchdown pass for a signature win in Oklahoma's 34-30 victory over previously unbeaten, then-No. 3 Texas in the iconic Red River Showdown rivalry last October.
Big play. In a big game. On a big stage — very likely to be what Oregon signed up for with the 2024 move to B1G competition.
Right-now talent in Gabriel; long-game potential in Moore
In signing Gabriel and Moore in the same transfer class, Oregon gets what it needs and what it wants — both the gap-fill QB transfer Oregon has been so familiar with since 2015 and Oregon's presumptive QB of the future in Moore.
"(Dan) Lanning is building a powerhouse," Fox Sports football analyst Joel Klatt said in May on his podcast.
Oregon's departed previous backup QB, Ty Thompson, hasn't yet elevated to a knack for game-management on the level of Top 25 starters.
2024 portal math subtracts Thompson via transfer, adds both Gabriel and Moore, and Oregon's QB talent level nets out significantly better for it.
Tale of the tape — No. 8 QB Dillon Gabriel
Born: Mililani, Hawaii
HT/WT: 5-foot-11, 204 pounds
Class: Senior, final year of eligibility
Transfer from Oklahoma (prior transfer from Central Florida)
Gabriel earned unanimous 2023 All-Big12 honors, finalist recognition for two national QB awards, and semifinalist recognition for two other national college football awards.
Gabriel enters 2024 tied for fourth in NCAA history for career touchdowns (152), seventh in total yards (15,925), eighth in passing yards (14,865), and eighth in passing touchdowns (125).
Gabriel made 49 career starts in 50 games — entering 2024 12 starts behind the NCAA record for a quarterback (61 set by Nix in 2023).
"Oregon with Dillon Gabriel is a real good fit in Will Stein, the Offensive Coordinator's system,” Klat said. “He's got 49 starts in his career already — which means by the end of this thing, if he stays healthy, he's gonna beat Bo Nix’s record of 61 starts by a quarterback in college football.”
Moore has three years of remaining eligibility plus a redshirt year still available and is heir-apparent to Gabriel, with all of 2024 to develop in Oregon's system and the opportunity to compete for the starting job in 2025.
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