How Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel Made Himself Better This Year

The Sooners' senior QB is among the nation's active leaders in several categories and has an outside shot at making history, but he's more focused on leadership and improvement.

NORMAN — Dillon Gabriel knows he has to be better in 2023.

Steady improvement is one of the goals for all quarterbacks at Oklahoma, but it’s also one of the standards.

Gabriel’s 2022 season was good — Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, some all-conference accolades, 3,163 yards, 25 touchdowns, six interceptions, a .626 completion percentage, a 154.42 efficiency rating — but he knows it didn’t meet the Oklahoma standard.

In about a month, they’ll be adding yet another statue that reflects that standard.

Although there’s always room for improvement, Sooner QBs now have an unfair, unrealistic, 7-foot-tall, bronze gauge — four of them, actually — against which they’re measured.

And just like those who came before him, Gabriel embraces that.

“It comes with the position,” he said. “I’m prepared for it. I’ve been doing it my whole life. Like I said, I knew what I was getting into. I’m blessed to be here, I’m grateful for this opportunity. I know that it’s a blessing to be here, so I don’t take that — ever — lightly. So, just taking that approach has been really good for me.”

It’s Year Two for Gabriel and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby in Norman. Maybe another visage in Heisman Park is unrealistic, but better quarterback play certainly isn’t.

“That’s a huge part of it too,” Lebby said. “He understands what it looks like every single Saturday now after going through it, which is a huge part of being here too. It’s an advantage too now. He’s had really good growth in the meeting room. He’ll continue to do so. He’ll continue to lead that group and our unit and our football team the right way.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel agreed, “just Year One in general for everyone. Although I knew a lot of it, it’s just different when everyone’s finding their way. Being here in Year Two, obviously, it’s a night and day difference. Obviously time, growth, being in the offense, everyone’s feeling a lot more comfortable. A lot of positives.”

Gabriel got 865 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and missed 1 1/2 games in the middle of the season with a concussion. OU was outscored 104-24 in his absence, and had a shot to win every other game. That illustrates his real value to the team. But the team finishing with a 6-7 record also illustrate how much he can improve.

Agitated OU fans might remember Gabriel overthrowing receivers against Kansas State or TCU, or posting his lowest PFF grade of the season at West Virginia (57.7; his next-lowest grade was 65 at Iowa State), or coming up short on late drives against Baylor or at Texas Tech. The Sooners lost all five of those games.

But as OU enters its second of four weeks of spring football practice, Lebby says his senior quarterback has shown growth and maturity and improvement in several areas, and it starts with an inherent familiarity he just didn’t have last year — Gabriel and everyone else.

“It’s just the understanding of what it all looks like,” Lebby said. “The day-to-day of it and what we’re asking them to do every single day and them understanding that, it’s a huge advantage to have that in Year Two. Understanding inside the scheme is also a really big deal. Again, there’s got to be a ton of growth in the next 14 practices and that’s what it is all about every single day. It’s that simple.”

Although OU lost the game — the Sooners had short fields on their final two drives but settled for two field goals (and missed the one in overtime) — Gabriel’s PFF grade of 86.0 at Texas Tech was his highest of the year in the season finale and came two weeks after his season low at WVU.

That alone shows evidence of progress — having one of your worst games, absorbing a shocking and deflating loss, and then putting it behind you and 14 days later playing with great efficiency and explosiveness (he was 28-of-40 for 449 yards with six touchdowns and an interception). It also may reflect a recognition on Lebby’s part to adjust the game plan to maximize Gabriel’s strengths and not force him to do things he might not be completely comfortable with.

Gabriel currently ranks second among FBS active quarterbacks at 312.9 yards total offense per game, ranks third at 294.9 passing yards per game, and he’s fourth in career passing yards with 11,205. With a big year, he could actually reach Landry Jones’ mark of 16,646, which stands as the Sooners’ school record and ranks third all-time in NCAA history. (It sounds a long way off, but there have been 18 quarterbacks in FBS history who have thrown for more than 5,000 yards.)

And don’t forget, Gabriel has another year of eligibility in 2024 if he wants it.

But Gabriel isn’t thinking about 2024, or NCAA records or PFF grades or Heisman statues. He’s thinking about being the best leader he can be this offseason, about ways he can best teach his young wide receiver corps more nuances of Lebby’s offense, about getting the most he can out of this week in practice.

“Yeah I think that’s the next step,” Gabriel said. “To see where I can take this thing — not just where it’s at, but taking it to a whole other level. That’s important on my end. But also leading, just being more vocal. 

“This is my team and taking full reins of that. So I’m just focused on that and making sure I’m coming to work everyday, because I’m setting the tone.”

And how does one do that as a fourth-year starting quarterback?

“You’ve got to lead from the front,” he said. “You’ve got to be vocal. You’ve got to challenge other guys, and that’s what I’m here to do.”