Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel Explains Why Jeff Lebby is the Perfect Fit
Oklahoma will head into spring football with a new quarterback, though there will be no controversy around the position.
Dillon Gabriel, the UCF transfer who flipped his commitment from UCLA to Oklahoma in the transfer portal, will be the QB1 in Norman. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby already confirmed as much during his National Signing Day press conference, clearing up threat of a position battle.
Speaking with reporters from The Athletic and The Oklahoman over the weekend, Gabriel detailed the reasons why he was able to comfortably make the decision to head to Oklahoma, a state he hadn’t previously set foot in, to continue his college career.
Read the Entire Dillon Gabriel Interview:
Gabriel’s relationship and level of trust with Lebby played a huge role, but the Hawaiian native also said he connected with Brent Venables very quickly as well.
“He speaks with conviction,” Gabriel said in the interview. “It’s infectious to not just me, but the whole locker room.”
Venables has already endeared himself to the Oklahoma fanbase for his genuine approach, and it has clearly resonated with recruits and transfer targets alike.
But on top of Venables’ passion, Gabriel said he feels he’s the perfect fit for Lebby’s offense.
As a true freshman at UCF in 2019, Gabriel took college football by storm. With Lebby calling the offense, Gabriel completed 59.3 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,653 yards and 29 touchdowns, all while only throwing seven interceptions.
One year after Lebby’s departure, Gabriel got even more efficient, throwing for 32 touchdowns and only tossing four picks in his sophomore season.
Gabriel pointed back to his high school recruitment as when his trust in Lebby really took root, but Gabriel also said he feels he’s the perfect weapon for how Lebby likes to call his offense.
“(Lebby) loves to take shots,” Gabriel said. “He loves to be super aggressive, play fast, physical and fearless. Those are three components that I feel like I line up with.”
Since committing to the Sooners, things had been pretty seamless, but last week Gabriel was roped into a bit of controversy.
Former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton appeared to take a shot at Oklahoma directly in an interview, wondering why players would ever want to go live in Norman to play football.
Gabriel cleared the air between him and Milton though, saying the two had talked things over and that there were no bad intentions.
For now, Gabriel said he’s focused on being the best teammate and leader he can be for the Sooners headed into 2022, and that he’s prepared to live with the pressure that comes along with being the starting quarterback at Oklahoma.
“It’s never pressure,” Gabriel said. “It’s going out there and being the best I can, scoring a bunch of points and winning games. I keep it real simple.”
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