Dillon Gabriel is hoping to end his college career with a bang, playing one more season with the Oregon Ducks. But it was Oklahoma that got him back on the right track, having two great seasons in Norman before entering the NCAA transfer portal. How Gabriel wound up playing for the Sooners is a roller coaster of a story though, initially having interest in Ole Miss due to his relationship with Jeff Lebby.
“When I was transferring (from UCF), I visited Ole Miss where my prior OC, Coach Lebby, was at,” Gabriel said. “After that visit, I felt like I was going to go to Ole Miss but Coach Lebby ended up going to Oklahoma.”
Lebby played quarterback at Oklahoma and when Brent Venables was hired, he answered the call of his alma mater. Ole Miss and Gabriel decided to then go in different directions, with the Rebels eventually landing Jaxson Dart out of USC.
Gabriel then looked out to the West Coast, deciding he wanted to play for Chip Kelly at UCLA. The Bruins were fresh off a good season with Dorian Thompson-Robinson running the show. His future was in limbo and accepting a commitment from Gabriel gave them an option in case he left.
Never getting a clear answer from Thompson-Robinson or the UCLA coaching staff gave Gabriel some pause, though.
“When that happened, took a visit to UCLA,” Gabriel said. “At the time, really loved it and wanted to make it happen. I ended up pulling the trigger and committing to UCLA.
“As that time went on though, we had conversations, and I wanted to know what I was walking into,” Gabriel said. “Not knowing if DTR was coming back or not. The quarterback room kind of had an unknown… They couldn’t clarify with that and keep it upfront and honest. Which is totally fine.”
One day before moving out to Los Angeles, the connection with Lebby struck again. Oklahoma lost Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler to the portal due to the coaching change and were in need of a starting quarterback. Nobody knew Lebby’s offense better than Gabriel after working together at UCF, making it a perfect match for the Sooners.
“January 3rd is when school started and I was supposed to be on a flight,” Gabriel said. “Coach Lebby ended up calling me and saying ‘Boomer’ and I’m like ‘What do you mean, Coach?’
“After that, ended up not taking the flight, not jumping into class, and then I was a Sooner.”
The move wound up working for everybody involved. Gabriel dealt with some injuries in 2022 but 2023 was a great year for him and Oklahoma, winning 10 games and stabilizing the program after its first losing season since 1998.
Lebby has since moved on to Mississippi State to become the head coach, being a reason why Gabriel is now an Oregon Duck. Jackson Arnold is now Oklahoma’s main guy after learning under Gabriel last season.
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