There is not a doubt in the world that the University of Oklahoma has been a hub for NFL-ready quarterbacks with high college pedigrees. Since the turn of the century, there have been 22 players to win the Heisman Trophy, 18 of them being quarterbacks. Of those players, four of them have been from the University of Oklahoma (Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray).
There has been no shortage of talent coming into OUโs QB room over the past seven years with tons of NFL talent and top recruits suiting up. However, last season changed that philosophy as Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams transferred out. Rattler lost his spot as a starter and Williams left for USC after Lincoln Riley left OU for the same location. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Oklahoma did not have a superstar QB waiting in the wings.
Enter Dillon Gabriel. At the University of Central Florida, Gabriel dominated the stat sheet. In his final two seasons, he averaged 3,611 passing yards while throwing 70 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. While Oklahoma is welcoming in Nick Evers (FR), General Booty (SO) and Pitt transfer Davis Beville (R-JR), Gabriel is expected to be the starting quarterback due to being the most experienced.
What can fans expect at QB1?
Just yesterday, Gabriel was announced as the Big-12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year.
๐ ๐๐๐๐ #Big12FB ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฐ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐
Dillon Gabriel, @OU_Football
๐ฐ https://t.co/4bQdyrFDbG pic.twitter.com/yx3oUMQyZR
โ Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 6, 2022
Gabriel is yet to throw a pass for Oklahoma or even against a Big-12 team in his career and will certainly be met with the challenges of a tougher schedule, considering has lost both games against ranked opponents in his career (36-33 loss vs Cincinnati & 49-23 loss vs BYU in Boca Raton Bowl in 2020).
What about OUโs weapons?
What will be interesting is how the receiver room shapes up after Michael Woods II was drafted and Mario Williams transferred to USC. For incoming talent, three commits that were supposed to enroll changed their minds within the last 12 months. The current WR depth chart is as follows:
Theo Wease (SR), Drake Stoops (RS -SR), Marvin Mims (JR)
Expectations are high for the new quarterback even though there is only so much room for improvement after an 11-2 finish last year. Truly, there are only a few teams in the conference that will compete for a ranking, Oklahoma needs to be one of them.
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