Oregon Ducks' Dillon Gabriel Reveals Dan Lanning's Coaching Style on SportsCenter

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks' quarterback Dillon Gabriel joined the popular sports program to discuss his leadership style, current tenure with the Ducks, and what it's like playing for Oregon coach Dan Lanning in a live interview.

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) celebrates a touchdown run during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is enjoying his time with the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning, and he's happy to let the nation know it. In a recent live interview on ESPN's SportsCenter, the senior transfer from Oklahoma opened up about his transition to "That Team Out West" and how the Oregon coaching staff helped him along the way.

"Being here at Oregon, I've been in an environment that's just very proactive and very beneficial to the players and our playing styles, and that's helped us out a ton. Myself included," Gabriel said.

To Gabriel, a lot of that welcoming energy comes from Lanning. In his third season with the Ducks, Lanning has brought the team to a 9-0 record and a No. 1 AP Top 25 Poll and College Football Playoff rankings; something the Ducks haven't achieved since 2012.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning watches a play against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Love playing for him. You know, he's a guy who's just always in what we're doing offensively but also as a team. Great motivator, but also a great person," Gabriel said. "As players, when you have a guy like that, it's easy to go to bat for him."

After Oregon's 38-17 victory against the Michigan Wolverines in the historic "Big House," Lanning put the nation on notice about Oregon's quarterback.

"You know, in this game, the Warriors are the ones who fight the battle, right?" Lanning said. "And they’re the ones that control the atmosphere, not the spectator. So, I thought our guys did an elite job at that. I think everybody in the nation needs to recognize what kind of quarterback we've got. He's a really, really special player, and I'm really proud of his performance tonight and proud of our entire team."

During the contest against Michigan, where Gabriel went 22-34 in passing for 294 yards and one touchdown with a personal 23-yard rushing touchdown added on top, Lanning applauded Gabriel's decision making in the pocket.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel makes a pass against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"He's steady, you know? I mean, even that last big pass to Traeshon [Holden] there, that wasn't the initial play. So that's great—we talk about scramble drill. Those guys activated scramble drill, turned it into an explosive play. Really impressive, super impressive play by Traeshon, taking advantage of opportunities, recreating those situations in practice, and executing them on the field is really special," Lanning said.

With Lanning's warrior mentality, leaning heavily last game on the film "Gladiator," Gabriel shared with Sportscenter that Lanning's speeches have truly brought the lockerroom together.

"They're the best. He's actually one of the best I've been around, the way he's able to motivate us and that's not only pregame but just every morning meeting, in our team meetings the way he brings the energy and the daily word he's got for us. He's just very dialed in the way he does it and we appreciate that," Gabriel said.

The Ducks is also knocking on the door of an NCAA record. Gabriel is No. 2 on the NCAA all-time list for total touchdowns responsible at 177, which is one away from breaking the record of former Houston Cougars quarterback Case Keenum (178). It's likely Gabriel will break Keenum's record with three games left to go in Oregon's regular season and Gabriel's ability to not only make key passing plays happen, but to also use his legs to create a scoring drive.

For Gabriel, his performance, along with his teams' has only improved since their initial two shaky wins against the Idaho Vandals and Boise State Broncos. To Gabriel, the Ducks only continue to improve as a unit.

"Just trusting people. I've always led with my heart and that's led me to the right people in my corner," Gabriel said.

The Ducks kick off against the Maryland Terrapins today at Autzen Stadium. Kick off is at 4:00pm PST.

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