With the conclusion of the 2023 college football season on Monday, PFF continues to release its top performers from the 2023 campaign. Among those is former Oklahoma football star quarterback Dillion Gabriel. Per PFF College on Twitter (also known as X), Gabriel finished the year with a 91.6 quarterback PFF grade, the fourth-best among FBS signal-callers.
Highest graded Quarterbacks this season pic.twitter.com/ms0Yrkdcrm
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 10, 2024
Gabriel entered the transfer portal before the Sooners clash with the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. He will play for the Oregon Ducks next fall. Former Oregon star quarterback and Heisman Trophy Award finalist Bo Nix ranked second on PFF’s quarterback grading list. Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the Michigan Wolverines’ J.J. McCarthy, who competed against each other in Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship, finished sixth and ninth, respectively.
Dillon Gabriel: Shined with Oklahoma Football
Gabriel spent his first three seasons with the UCF Knights before transitioning to the Oklahoma football program circa 2021. Gabriel rejoined offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby with the Sooners, throwing for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns against six picks during their inaugural season in Norman.
Lebby and Gabriel took massive strides this season, orchestrating one of the best offenses in the country. The Sooners scored 41.7 points per game, the fourth-highest mark in college football. Gabriel completed a career-best 69.3% of his passes for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns against six picks. He owned a spectacular 172.0 quarterback rating. He opened the season with 16 touchdowns against two picks, including playing turnover-free football in a 34-30 win over the Texas Longhorns. The six-foot signal-caller accounted for six games of at least three touchdowns.
However, Gabriel will play for the Oregon Ducks next season. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby will also lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2024. Former North Texas head coach Seth Littrell will call the plays next season for the Sooners, with former five-star signee Jack Arnold playing quarterback.
Former Sooners QB Caleb Williams: Finishes Ninth Among PFF Top QBs
Well behind Dillon Gabriel, among PFF’s highest-graded Quarterbacks this season, is USC Trojans’ gunslinger Caleb Williams. The former Heisman Trophy Award winner tossed 30 touchdowns against five interceptions this year. However, he threw 42 touchdowns with five picks in 2022, his first with USC. Williams played for the Sooners in 2021, posting a solid 21 passing touchdowns in 11 games. However, he and former head coach Lincoln Riley darted for USC, opening the door for Dillion Gabriel and head coach Brent Venables.
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