Dillon Gabriel on decision to transfer to Oklahoma: 'It was a no-brainer'

Dillon Gabriel put together some impressive seasons at UCF during his career, including two 3,000-yard seasons with the Knights. But after entering the transfer portal, he ended up at Oklahoma — and he didn’t hesitate to make that call.

Sooners coach Brent Venables had to get creative to replace Caleb Williams, who entered the portal and eventually followed Lincoln Riley to USC. He and new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby turned their attention to the portal to land Gabriel, who worked with Lebby for a year at UCF in 2019.

During Big 12 Media Days on Thursday, Gabriel said the decision to take his talents to Norman was an easy one — and Venables and Lebby played huge roles in it.

“Just really believed in Coach Venables, Coach Lebby,” Gabriel told ESPN’s Sam Acho. “Obviously knew what Oklahoma has to offer. For me, it was a no-brainer. Right when I got the call, I knew what was up.”

Gabriel only played in three games in 2021 at UCF before a shoulder injury cut his season short. In that time, he completed 70 of 102 passes for 818 yards and nine touchdowns. He entered the portal after the year and initially committed to UCLA. But after Williams decided to transfer from Oklahoma, he flipped his commitment to the Sooners.

But Gabriel turned in a huge freshman season in 2019 under Lebby’s watch when he was the UCF offensive coordinator. The Hawaii native threw for 3,653 yards and 27 touchdowns in 13 starts to help the Knights to a 10-3 overall record and a Gasparilla Bowl appearance.

Dillon Gabriel on feeling pressure from Oklahoma fans, passion: ‘You gotta love it’

Pressure makes diamonds, and it makes Dillon Gabriel more confident in his abilities. At least, that’s how the latest in the line of talented Oklahoma quarterbacks sounded as he explained his feelings on the pressure he’s feeling — or not feeling — regarding the passion on Sooners faithful.

“Felt it, you gotta love it too,” Gabriel said, speaking on the ESPN set at Big 12 Media Days. “You know the Spring Game, having 75k there. And of course, just the passion for this program. You can feel it. Statistics show it. You know, with the Spring Game and of course the sell outs.

“We just want to represent the university in the right way. My coaches, my teammates. Class, respect, humility and being confident as heck.”