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Former Oklahoma QB Reveals Transfer Destination

As was widely expected, the Sooners' senior quarterback announced he will conclude his collegiate career in the Pacific Northwest.

John E. Hoover

Former Oklahoma QB Reveals Transfer Destination
Former Oklahoma QB Reveals Transfer Destination /
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It didn’t take a detective to figure out the best landing spot for Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel, Oklahoma’s prolific quarterback for the first two years of Brent Venables’ difficult rebuilding project, is reportedly migrating West.

Gabriel revealed on Twitter Saturday that he will finish his college career and play his final season with the Oregon Ducks. 

Oregon and third-year coach Dan Lanning will need a quarterback in 2024 as Heisman finalist Bo Nix exhausts his collegiate eligibility, and Eugene is much closer for Gabriel’s family to travel from Hawaii to watch him play.

And as an added bonus, Oregon’s season opener next year is at Hawaii.

The rest of Oregon's '24 schedule is daunting as the Ducks begin life in the Big Ten Conference: Texas Tech and Boise State in non-conference play, and at UCLA, Michigan State, Ohio State, at Michigan, at Wisconsin and Washington among their Big Ten opponents.

Gabriel should fit in nicely with the high-octane Ducks. He was a two-year starter for the Sooners who racked up 6,828 passing yards and 73 total touchdowns after initially transferring to Norman from UCF. In his two seasons at OU, Gabriel played in and started 24 games, missing only the 2022 Red River Rivalry after suffering a concussion against TCU.

In 2023, Gabriel etched his legacy in Sooner lore by becoming the first Oklahoma QB to throw for 250 yards and rush for 100 yards against Texas, leading OU down the field for a game winning drive with just over a minute on the clock.

Former UCF QB Dillon Gabriel Flipping Transfer from UCLA to Oklahoma

Gabriel was Venables' first starting QB following Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley's departure for USC. Prior to his time at Oklahoma, Gabriel spent his first three seasons at Central Florida and was slated to be a three-year starter before a broken collarbone wrecked his junior season early in 2021.

With Gabriel now in the portal, 5-star true freshman Jackson Arnold will take over for the Sooners. So far in 2023, the Denton Guyer (TX) product is 18-of-24 for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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