We are a little over a month away from the college football season starting and what better way than to evaluate athletes who are on the rise. This segment will feature University of Oregon’s new signal-caller Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel’s quarterback journey has not been an easy one. The 23-year-old has been on numerous college football programs, just trying to make his journey into the NFL one day. Gabriel began his collegiate career with UCF in 2019 before leaving to join Oklahoma in 2022. After spending two seasons there, Gabriel decided that Oregon was the best spot for him and transferred on December 9, 2023.

Pro Football Focus listed Gabriel as the number two returning quarterback on their article titled: ‘College Football: The top-10 returning quarterbacks for the 2024 season’.

Author Max Chadwick was positive in his assessment of Gabriel and mentioned how joining Oregon will boost his play due to offensive coordinator Will Stein’s system.

Gabriel is the only player on this list who’ll have a new home in 2024 after transferring to Oregon from Oklahoma in December. This past season, his 91.7 PFF grade trailed only Daniels and Nix among FBS quarterbacks. 

Gabriel is far and away the most experienced signal-caller on this list. The soon-to-be sixth-year senior has 1,855 career dropbacks during his time at UCF and Oklahoma. The next-closest top-10 quarterback, Jaxson Dart, has 1,030 career dropbacks. With that experience comes the wisdom to keep the ball out of harm’s way. Gabriel’s 2% turnover-worthy play rate during his two seasons at Oklahoma stands third among returning FBS quarterbacks. 

Gabriel fares far better when he has time to set his feet and deliver, earning just a 52.4 grade when forced to bail from the pocket. It also remains to be seen how Gabriel looks outside of Jeff Lebby’s offense, who’s now the Mississippi State head coach. The good news for Oregon fans is that Gabriel should fit like a glove in Will Stein’s offense, one that relies heavily on play-action and asked Bo Nix to play the role of a supercharged game-manager, taking what the defense gives him while rarely putting the ball in danger.

Being with so many college programs really looks bad from the outside; however, Gabriel is looking for his 2024 Oregon campaign to solidify his future in football.

Gabriel’s Collegiate Statistics: 

2019: 236/398 for 3,653 Yards, 29 TDs to 7 INTs – 156.9 Passer Rating

2020: 248/413 for 3,570 Yards, 32 TDs to 4 INTs – 156.3 Passer Rating

2021: 70/102 for 814 Yards, 9 TDs to 3 INTs – 158.9 Passer Rating

2022: 230/367 for 3,168 Yards, 25 TDs to 6 INTs – 154.4 Passer Rating

2023: 266/384 for 3,660 Yards, 30 TDs to 6 INTs – 172.0 Passer Rating

2024: TBD

Throughout his college career at the different schools he has been apart of, Gabriel has shown that he can play the quarterback position. His touchdown to interception ratios at all of his locations were extremely impressive, and he has posted high completion percentages.

While his age could turn away several NFL franchises, being 24-years-old when the NFL Draft gets underway, there is no question that he can sling the football around and eliminate key mistakes.

Gabriel will be a top quarterback in the nation this year. Oregon’s offense caters to quarterback play, and this fit is a match that can propel his future career in football. He will certainly be a top college football player to watch this upcoming season.