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Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel on Another Prestigious Watch List

It's the third watch list Gabriel has landed on this preseason, which is a strong indicator that he could be lining up for a huge season as the Sooners' quarterback.

John E. Hoover

Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel on Another Prestigious Watch List
Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel on Another Prestigious Watch List /
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If Dillon Gabriel has the kind of season many expect, Oklahoma fans should anticipate a major turnaround.

Gabriel was among 45 players included on the 2023 preseason watch list for the Walter Camp Award, which goes to the top overall player in college football.

Gabriel, from Mililani, HI, threw for 3,163 yards and 25 touchdowns last year with jus six interceptions, completing 63 percent of his throws and averaging 264 passing yards per game.

His inclusion on all the preseason watch lists would indicate expectations for an even better year in 2023.

"I don't know,” Gabriel said earlier this week. “Year 2 in it. The work. The grind. The work you put in. Shoot, just putting your head down and focusing on that. I think that shows the results. Just trying to get better every day and that should end up helping when we get there.”

Gabriel, the Sooners’ senior left-hander and one of the most prolific active quarterbacks in the game was previously included on the Maxwell Award watch list as the nation’s top overall player as well as the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback.

Former Sooner Caleb Williams won the Walter Camp Award last year while also winning the Heisman Trophy. Players from 35 schools are represented (Ohio State has four nominees) on this year’s watch list.

Gabriel, Cincinnati defensive lineman Dontay Corleone, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Texas wideout Xavier Worthy comprise the list of nominees from the Big 12 Conference.

Gabriel transferred to OU from Central Florida last year and quarterbacked the Sooners to a 6-7 record, although he missed OU’s 49-0 loss to Texas due to a concussion.

Gabriel is a returning starter at OU and one of the most prolific active QBs in college football.

Gabriel ranks third nationally among active QBs in passing yards per game (294.9) and is second in total offense per game (312.9). He’s also fourth nationally with 11,205 passing yards and fourth with 95 touchdown passes.

“Fortunately, none of that matters,” Gabriel said. “The name of the game is it's a team sport. That's all I'm focused on is winning and having fun with my brothers. Just keeping it simple and maintaining that. The rest will take care of itself. So for me, it's finding ways to go 1-0 every week. That's what keeps everyone happy.”

The Camp Award is the latest of 16 watch lists this preseason to be revealed by the National College Football Awards Association.

For the first time in 2023, the NCFAA will package and brand national players of the week as 12 awards are set to unveil weekly honors each Tuesday this season. The first announcements will come on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

The NCFAA's annual showcase, The Home Depot College Football Awards, will air live on ESPN in early December with the exact date to be announced shortly.

The preseason watch lists for 2023 with OU players who have been nominated:

NCFAA Watch Lists

  • Mon., July 31: Maxwell Award (top player; Dillon Gabriel)
  • Tue., Aug 1: Outland Trophy (top lineman) and Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player; Danny Stutsman)
  • Wed., Aug. 2: Lou Groza Award (kicker) and Ray Guy Award (punter; Luke Elzinga)
  • Thu., Aug. 3: Paul Hornung Award (all-purpose) and Wuerffel Trophy (citizenship; Ethan Downs)
  • Fri., Aug. 4: Mackey Award (tight end; Austin Stogner) and Rimington Trophy (center)
  • Mon., Aug. 7: Biletnikoff Award (receiver)
  • Tue., Aug. 8: Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback; Dillon Gabriel)
  • Wed., Aug. 9: Doak Walker Award (running back; Jovantae Barnes)
  • Thu., Aug. 10: Butkus Award (linebacker; Danny Stutsman) and Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back)
  • Fri., Aug. 11: Walter Camp Award (top player; Dillon Gabriel)
  • Mon., Aug. 14: Bednarik Award (defensive player)
Published
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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