Ducks Digest

Heisman Trophy: Oregon Ducks' Dillon Gabriel Reveals Ashton Jeanty Vote Ahead Of Ceremony

In New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, Oregon Ducks’ quarterback Dillon Gabriel revealed he would choose Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty over Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter.

Ally Osborne

Dec 7, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) walks around the field after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten Championship in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) walks around the field after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten Championship in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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It’s a unique question to ask anyone up for an award: who would you vote for if not for yourself? When it comes to Oregon Ducks’ quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel, he had his answer ready. The Duck senior shared his pick on the Dan Patrick Show earlier today.

"I'm going to get some heat for this one, but I'm going to say Ashton Jeanty. I say that because me being in the Group of Five once, knowing the challenges that come with that. Of course, I played against Ashton this year, I think he's a talented individual. His story is unique, and what he's been able to do is pretty impressive,” Gabriel said.

Before transfering to Oregon from Oklahoma, Gabriel played at UCF from 2019 - 2021. In his freshman year as a back-up turned starter, Gabriel led the UCF Knights to a win in the Gasparilla Bowl against Marshall and cement a 10-3 record while still in the American Conference. The Knights joined the Big 12 Conference after Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma in 2021.

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Gabriel, Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter are the finalists for the 2024 Heisman Trophy, which will be presented to the best player in college football on Saturday at a ceremony in New York City. Earlier today, the finalists were photographed together as they explored the city and made media appearances, which is when Gabriel revealed his choice of Jeanty as the winner.

The Heisman race seems to decisively be between Jeanty and Hunter, as social media is a buzz debating which athlete should win.

“You put me in a spot so I think this may be quoted,” Gabriel said, continuing his support for Jeanty, “I do think he’s extremely worthy of it.”

Even Oregon’s mascot, The Duck, put in his two cents last week when crashing the set of the Pat McAfee Show. Spoiler alert, the mascot mirrored his quarterbacks’ tastes.

"Snaps ain't a stat though," The Duck wrote on a whiteboard and showed the audience.

The Duck referenced the Colorado standout’s statistic of 1,044 total snaps during the regular season. Hunter is the odds and away favorite for the award, with Hunter’s betting odds to win the award range from -5000 to -8000. Jeanty’s odds of winning are anywhere between +750 to +2000.

Jeanty ended the regular season with 28 touchdowns and 2,288 yards off 312 carries. The Boise State junior also averages 7.3 yards per carry, a statistic most football teams are hard-pressed to reach during a single game. Jeanty has scored at least one touchdown in all but one of Boise State’s games.

In the Broncos’ only loss of the regular season against Oregon, Jeanty totaled 192 yards and three touchdowns. With Boise State gaining 221 rushing yards for the whole game; that means Jeanty made up over 86% of the team's yardage against the Ducks.

Jeanty has since won the Doak Walker Award for being the best running back of the year and the Maxwell Award for the most outstanding athlete in college football for the year, an award Gabriel was also a finalist for.

Gabriel helped lead Oregon to one of their best ever seasons in school history, clinching a 13-0 record and a Big Ten Conference win in the Ducks’ first season in the conference. He picked up 3,558 yards with a 28-6 touchdown to interception ratio.

The winner of the Heisman Trophy will be announced on Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.

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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A born and raised Oregonian, Ally was raised going up and down the steps of Autzen Stadium. Ally graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021. She currently works at KOIN 6 and Portland's CW in Portland, Oregon where she hosts the lifestyle program "Everyday Northwest" and reports for the KOIN Sports team. She's also a graphic designer in her free time, with several of her works created for Oregon athletes.

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