All Sooners

Why Oklahoma Expects QB Dillon Gabriel To Be 'Dominant' in Year Two

Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said he expects the Sooners' starting QB to play "at a championship level" this year, starting with Saturday's opener.

Tim Willert

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NORMAN — It's game week, and several players on the Oklahoma roster, most notably the offensive and defensive line groups and the receivers unit, are still competing for starting spots.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, however, is not among them. 

In fact, Gabriel is playing with such confidence that offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby expects him to be dominant behind center, starting with Saturday's season opener against Arkansas State.

"Feel great about Dillon. He's had a great camp," Lebby said Monday during his weekly news conference. "This is a guy that's started 36 games, has had a ton of production. So we're looking for him to be dominant and play really, really well, at a championship level. Expect that, he expects that, and so, excited for him to get on the grass Saturday morning."

Gabriel, a redshirt senior who played three seasons at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma in 2022, has started 37 games in his four-year college career and thrown for 11,205 yards and 95 touchdowns.

"It's what I came here to do," he said Monday following practice. "It's getting outside of your comfort zone and trying to get to a level that you always want to be at. "For me, it's high expectations but also something I really want to achieve. It's all part of it."

How to Watch Oklahoma vs. Arkansas State

Last season, his first at OU, Gabriel passed for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns in 12 games and ran for 315 yards and six more scores. He finished second in the Big 12 in passing yards per game (264.0), total offense (290.3 yards per game), pass efficiency rating (154.4), and yards per completion (13.8), yards per pass attempt (8.6) and passing touchdowns (25).

Gabriel returns for his second season in Norman a more confident, better prepared leader. He knows what to expect, and the bar is high.

"I think everyone is just focused and locked in," he said. "We know what we've set out to do. "I think that kind of energy rubs off on everyone. It's good for us going into Week 1."

He described the team's execution during fall camp as "crisp and clean."

"I think whenever you have that kind of camp it just relays over the season," he said. "This is a game of doing and performance, so we've gotta go out there and prove it well."

Gabriel's demeanor has helped him handle the pressure, the high expectations that come with playing quarterback for the Sooners, according to Lebby.

"He's got a great edge about him right now, again, he's incredibly confident," Lebby said. "It's all about the preparation. That's what it's come from. He's worked incredibly hard. He's put in a ton of time. 

"He's got an incredible amount of respect within our locker room, with our staff, with his teammates. So again, excited for him to have the opportunity to walk out there Saturday morning and go play his butt off."

Gabriel's development as a signal caller has also carried over to his understanding of the offense, and he is starting to look more like a coach on the field entering his second year in Lebby's system at Oklahoma.

“I think the biggest thing is just making sure we’re having great conversations in between drives," Lebby said. "As soon as he comes over and gets the sheet, gets on the phone, man, those conversations continue to be as high-level as possible. And being able to see exactly what he saw. Speaking the same language. He does a great job of that. So, expect that to continue.”

“I think without a doubt, I think he understands more than ever why I’m calling the play that I’m calling and the intent of it," he said. "I think that’s a huge deal. If you go and try to attack defenses and situationally understand why I’m calling things. He’s thinking like we do as a staff, which is a big part of it.”

The in-depth conversations with Lebby will also benefit his teammates, Gabriel said.

"When I get out there, just having another coach on the field and being able to be that voice for the boys," he said. "I'm able to see everything and relay that over just so we're all on the same page."

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Tim Willert
TIM WILLERT

AllSooners staff writer Tim Willert has covered news and sports for 29 years as a reporter and editor for daily and online publications, including The Oklahoman and The Norman Transcript. 

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