The Oregon Ducks have long known they’d have to find a new quarterback for the 2024 season, with Heisman candidate Bo Nix headed to the NFL after an incredible season. Luckily, the NCAA transfer portal presents strong programs like the Ducks with a great opportunity to add an experienced QB capable of leading a high-powered scoring attack like the one Dan Lanning’s team enjoys.
On Saturday, we learned the identity of Oregon’s QB in 2024 when former Oklahoma star Dillon Gabriel announced his official commitment to the Ducks via social media.
Gabriel’s decision to leave Oklahoma came as a surprise, considering he helped lead the Sooners to the third-highest-scoring offense in college football. But the Sooners finished just behind Oregon’s offense, which scored 44.2 points per game, good for second-most in the nation.
Now we’ll get a chance to see whether Gabriel can maintain the same success Nix had as a member of the Ducks. For Gabriel, it’s just the next step of what’s been an adventurous career after beginning with UCF before playing two seasons in Oklahoma.
Gabriel may have been a candidate to enter his name in the 2024 NFL Draft after completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns. Yet he’s also listed at just 5-foot-11, meaning he’s a classic case of a QB likely to be highly-scrutinized due to a lack of ‘ideal NFL size’ among evaluators. Perhaps playing another season at an elite level can change the minds of analysts, helping Gabriel boost his stock for the 2025 NFL Draft.
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