As the NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday, Dillon Gabriel was putting the finishing touches on a stellar spring as Oregon’s new starting quarterback.
In a pre-Name, Image and Likeness world, there would have been a lot of reasons, especially financial ones, for Gabriel to have entered his name into last weekend’s draft. Gabriel is a perfect example of the new modern player who didn’t love the draft feedback he got and rather than take a risky leap into the NFL as a late-round prospect as others have in the past, he decided to come back and maximize his college eligibility.
“A lot of guys who leave earlier who have years left and guys are out of the league in a year or two,” Gabriel told 247Sports. “I have a lot of friends that made the decision to leave early and they’re like, “Man, I wish I played for one more year.’ When that kind of crossed my mind I was like, ‘Dang, I want to maximize my time and learn as much as I can so I’m prepared for that next level.’ Mine is a little more unique than others because of COVID and the transfer portal.
“I think you’ve seen it work for a lot of guys. Hendon Hooker coming back for that extra year, Bo (Nix), Michael Penix maximizing all the years. There’s a lot of examples — Jordan Travis — that have taken advantage of their extra year and how much growth they had in that year’s time. I don’t want to ever not take advantage of the time that I have.”
As a sixth-year senior, he steps into a situation where his predecessor, Bo Nix, did precisely what Gabriel aspires to do in Eugene. After three years as Auburn’s starter, Nix arrived at Oregon with an unclear future but excelled in head coach Dan Lanning’s program. Nix was drafted No. 12 overall in this year’s NFL Draft, a feat that seemed improbable at best when Nix traded the SEC for the Pac-12. Nix was part of a star-studded draft that saw six quarterbacks go in the first 12 picks, including fellow Pac-12 quarterback Michael Penix in a surprise at No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons.
After a spring at Oregon and seeing Nix rewarded in the draft for his hard work, Gabriel is buoyed that he picked the right place after deciding to leave Oklahoma after two seasons as the Sooners’ starting quarterback. In his five previous seasons, including three at Central Florida, Gabriel has thrown for 14,865 yards and 125 touchdowns.
“What’s cool about Oregon and even Coach Lanning and Coach Stein, they are able to reproduce consistency,” Gabriel said. “Their ability to develop and be creative in their scheme. They are able to do that consistently throughout the year. That’s an attractive thing for us players knowing what you can do in their scheme and then the guys around you. I know we have a lot of talent that can play at a very high level. It’s just putting it all together.”
Height (5-foot-11) and durability are two knocks against Gabriel, who has a history of injuries over his career — but so did Penix Jr. And while Gabriel can’t do anything to clear the magical 6-foot barrier, he did stay healthy all of 2023. Getting through the 2024 season mostly unscathed while lighting up scoreboards the way Nix did could propel Gabriel on a surprise run up the boards.
Gabriel has been active in the NIL space, signing deals with brands like Old Spice, Sonic and others. He is putting that NIL money to good use — he will be donating new uniforms to Mililani High School, his alma mater, on Friday in an event called “I’M INSPIRED'” – and has big plans for what he can do with it in the future. He has largely shied away from making any flashy purchases for himself, though he made headlines during a recent “Bussin’ With The Boys” interview when he said his biggest buy so far was a Chrysler MiniVan.
Since then Gabriel has heard from a lot of people wanting to know more about his MiniVan — the clip has more than a million views on X — but he says his car is true to who he is – on and off the field.
“It’s to keep insurance costs low and fit as many family members as I can in the car when they are flying to my games,” he said. “I’m definitely built for efficiency and always thinking about how it can have multiple uses similar to how I am on the field.”