Former UCF QB Dillon Gabriel Flipping Transfer from UCLA to Oklahoma
Before Caleb Williams’ entrance into the transfer portal is even official, Oklahoma might have found its quarterback for 2022 — and it would appear that new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has his man. Again.
Dillon Gabriel, a prolific three-year starter at Central Florida, announced on Twitter that he’ll be coming to Oklahoma.
Gabriel, a left-handeder from Mililani, HI, will presumably finish his college career at OU, where he’ll be reunited with Lebby, the former UCF offensive coordinator who's now at Oklahoma.
In his one season at UCF as the starter under Lebby and former Sooner OC and current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, Gabriel completed 236-of-398 passes (59.3 percent) for 3,653 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
That was as a freshman in 2019, when he replaced injured starter Mackenzie Milton.
As a 10-game starter in 2020, the 6-foot, 200-pound Gabriel completed 248-of-413 passes (60.0 percent) for 3,570 yards with 32 TDs and just four picks.
Last year, in just three games, Gabriel completed 68.6 percent of his throws for 818 yards with nine TDs and three INTs. He suffered a broken collarbone and missed the Knights’ last eight games.
Gabriel isn’t a classic dual-threat QB, but he’s considered a mobile threat: In 26 career games at UCF, he’s carried the football 167 times for 372 yards (including 24 for 125 last season, a 5.2-yard average) and scored eight touchdowns.
MORE: Gabriel's career college stats
Gabriel announced last month that he was transferring to UCLA, but as a graduate transfer, that was not a hindrance to another relocation. He entered the transfer portal on Nov. 27, and on Dec. 16 said he would continue his career in Westwood.
Instead, he’s flipped to Oklahoma, where he’ll be reunited with one of college football’s hottest young quarterback coaches and play callers.
Williams announced earlier Monday that he would be entering the transfer portal. Although Williams didn’t close the book on returning to OU, it would be easy to speculate that Williams doesn’t intend on being a Sooner moving forward.
Williams’ father, Carl Williams, told Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel that his son’s main goal was to get to the NFL and wants to play in a college program that would best facilitate that.
