Ranking Oregon Quarterback Dillon Gabriel in Heisman Trophy Race

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning’s transfer portal prowess has landed the Ducks another prime Heisman Trophy candidate.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws during practice with the Oregon Ducks Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

EUGENE - Former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix got as close to the Heisman Trophy in 2023 as any Duck football player since Marcus Mariota won the prestigous honor in 2014. Putting up fantastic numbers along with team success made Nix a Heisman finalist and should give Oregon fans hope that Oklahoma transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel can put himself in a similar, if not better position for the award this year.

Today I’ll rank the best Heisman Trophy candidates for the upcoming season and see where Dillon Gabriel lands.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws during practice with the Oregon Ducks Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

1. Carson Beck, +750

The odds leader is still a long of a shot to win - showing how open this year’s Heisman race is. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has been more efficient than dominant in his college time thus far but he has elite physical tools and plays for one of the best teams in the country which makes winning the award much easier.

Beck has prototype size, no concerning injury history, a strong arm, and great statistics, throwing for 3,941 passing yards with a 72 percent completion rate in 2023. Now Beck headlines a loaded Georgia roster that should be right in the thick of the College Football Playoff mix at the end of the year.

2. Dillon Gabriel, +1,000

Gabriel’s place in the Heisman odds (third) is a bit more of a projection than most of the leaders as he’s the only top-three player to have transferred this offseason. After making his way around college football over the last few years, Gabriel joins an Oregon team that made Bo Nix a Heisman finalist last year.

Offensive coordinator Will Stein’s offense tends to lead to gaudy numbers as we saw in Bo Nix’s 2023 campaign where he put up 4,508 passing yards and 45 touchdowns. Gabriel has a chance to be even better as he’s a significantly more highly-regarded transfer than Nix was coming from Auburn. If Gabriel takes a similar numerical leap to Nix and Oregon is a playoff team, there’s no reason he can’t win the award this season.

3. Quinn Ewers, +900

As with all of these candidates, team success will be paramount to Ewers’ Heisman efforts. He’s been less consistently effective than the two players ahead of him in the list but being the quarterback for a talented Texas team will give him all the chance he needs.

If Ewers can make some statistical jumps from his 2023 season, he could easily make serious noise in this year’s Heisman race.

4. Jalen Milroe, +1,500

Add this to my list of great values in season-long prop bets this season. Milroe got himself into the race after a rocky start last year and now receives the tutelage of new Head Coach Kalen DeBoer, who’s high-flying 2023 Washington offense put quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at the final table for the Heisman.

There’s a case to be made that it will be harder for Milroe to win the starting job at Alabama than it will be to win the Heisman if he does, as Alabama is in the middle of a heated quarterback competition whose winner will have the opportunity to have another great season in DeBoer’s offense.

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