Dillon Gabriel discusses being able to do more with increased Oklahoma QB depth

Dillon Gabriel doesn’t mind extra competition in the quarterback room. On Monday, Oklahoma‘s QB1 discussed the benefits of having talented backups waiting in the wings.

“In general, you can do more when you got a lot of guys being able to contribute,” Gabriel said. “But, I think that just comes together being in Year 2 and everyone knowing the system just allows you to go more in-depth in what you already know and then try some new things.”

Year 1 was certainly a success for Gabriel. In 12 games, the 5-foot-11 quarterback tallied 230 completions for 3,168 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns. Gabriel also recorded 317 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. For his efforts, Gabriel was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

The massive accomplishments are a drop in the bucket of Gabriel’s illustrious career. Before joining the Sooners, Gabriel spent three seasons at UCF where he recorded over 3,000 passing yards in both 2019 and 2020.

Despite Gabriel’s undeniable talent, the Sooners posted a lackluster 6-7 record last season. Head coach Brent Venables added some talent to the QB room this offseason that should light a fire under Gabriel.

Meet the rest of the quarterback room

That talent’s name is Jackson Arnold. The 6-foot quarterback was a five-star recruit, according to On3 Industry Ratings. Further, Arnold was the No. 4 prospect in the Class of 2023 and the eighth-best player in the country.

As if Arnold doesn’t add enough to the quarterback unit, Oklahoma also boasts third-string QB Davis Beville, who spent three seasons at Pitt before transferring to OU last year. Beville appeared in five games last season, throwing 15 completions for 102 yards.

While Oklahoma has no shortage of options behind center, Gabriel doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

“He’s no different than any other player, but he has played a lot of football,” Venables said of Gabriel. “When he does make a mistake, he’s quick to know it and knows how to fix it. The biggest thing for a quarterback is accuracy and making good decisions in both pre and post snap. Relying on the experience that he has, he can make a lot of good decisions post-snap.

“But he’s done great. He has led well and they’re still going through an aggressive stage of installation but he has handled everything well.”

Gabriel and Oklahoma will hit the field on Sept. 2 against Arkansas State in their season opener.