Oregon Ducks' Dillon Gabriel Viral Helmet At Senior Bowl Ahead Of NFL Draft

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is no stranger to turning heads this season after leading Oregon to an undefeated regular season and Big Ten Conference Championship. Now, the NFL Draft hopeful Gabriel is going viral during Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama for an eye-catching helmet.

Gabriel's helmet includes logos of the Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma Sooners and UCF Knights, the three schools Gabriel spent time with during his six-year college career.

Dillon Gabriel’s custom helmet for the @seniorbowl is awesome 🔥

(via @seniorbowl) pic.twitter.com/7LZ9eaoEkK
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 28, 2025

The Heisman Trophy finalist started his college career with the UCF Golden Knights, before transferring to Oklahoma after quarterback Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley left for the USC Trojans.

In total, Gabriel finished with an incredible 18,722 passing yards and 155 touchdowns in his career. Heset a new FBS record for starts by a quarterback against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship Game. Gabriel (63) passed former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix's record of 61 career starts.

“It seems like (Gabriel) has been playing college football for the last ten years,” Penn State coach James Franklin said ahead of the Big Ten title game.

In his final season in college, Gabriel became an Oregon fan favorite, throwing for 3,857 yards with 30 touchdowns, which led the Big Ten. Gabriel was a sneaky asset in the running game adding 149 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel and coach Dan Lanning. Gabriel will set a new FBS record for starts by a quarterback against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship Game. | jake bunn

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Gabriel's experience is sure to impress NFL scouts, especially after Nix's experience proved to be a powerful tool in his successful rookie season with the Denver Broncos.

Gabriel is 5-foot-11, 200-pounds and a Hawaiian native, known for his quick-trigger release, smart decision making and ability to protect the football. He’s never thrown for more than seven interceptions in a season at the college level.

Gabriel's top Duck receiver, Tez Johnson, explained that Gabriel is unlike any quarterback he's ever been around. In the locker room, when the team is goofing around and playing music, Gabriel likes to dance in the middle of the circle.

"You rarely see that as a quarterback," Johnson told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus. "He's just a kid playing football."

"Every week we become more and more dynamic," Johnson continued. "I feel like it's just the quarterback we have - how he thinks of new plays every day. He's just always willing to try the most crazy stuff to see if it works... We go out there right on Saturday and score on (Gabriel's play.) It gives us a lot of confidence in that we can do pretty much anything."

Johnson smiled as he discloses that Gabriel's plays do sometimes had funny names, like "McChicken."

Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel | Jake Bunn

The transfer quarterback led the Ducks to their first-ever 13-0 record with a win over Penn State, securing the Big Ten Championship in Oregon's first year in the conference.

Multiple NFL mock drafts predict Gabriel will be a late second-round pick or third-round pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

“This guy deserves every single thing that comes his way," coach Dan Lanning said after winning the Big Ten Championship Game. "This team believes in him. They’re grateful every day that they get to step on the field with him. He’s about connection and people first, but the poise that he shows in big games is unmeasured. I haven’t been around players like Dillon. I’m really grateful I get to share the field with him.”

Gabriel finished the 2024 regular season with 3,275 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He also added 175 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns en route to winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Gabriel, a sixth year senior, transferred from Oklahoma to the Ducks this past offseason.

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