Greg McElroy names Dillon Gabriel the top quarterback in the Big 12

Greg McElroy named Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel the top signal caller in the Big 12 going into the 2023 season.

Gabriel put up big numbers throughout his career and despite injuries in 2022, was producitve for the Sooners. But now the team has big expectations after a 6-7 campaign with a bowl loss last year.

Gabriel certainly has the opportunity to prove his ranking in McElroy’s eyes.

“Dillon Gabriel is No. 1 in Oklahoma and the guy’s had almost 12,000 career passing yards,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “So much success at both UCF and in Oklahoma that we almost lose sight of just how good this guy has been. Remember, there’s only 30 quarterbacks ever that have eclipsed the 12,000 yard plateau.

“And Gabriel could very well do it by Week 3, assuming he continues to play as well as he did in the spring and assuming he continues to get as comfortable as humanly possible with Jeff Lebby’s system.” 

Last season, Gabriel finished with 3,168 yards, 25 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 62.7% completion percentage.

“Now, there are similarities to what he did at UCF under Josh Heupel to what he’s going to be doing with Jeff Lebby,” McElroy said. “Obviously, he ran that system before that’s part of the reason why he was the guy that Jeff Lebby went after when trying to figure out what quarterback they were going to get.

“Of course, Caleb Williams decided to go to USC, Dillon Gabriel was the first man up. He was committed to UCLA but finds a home at Oklahoma, gets a little banged up last year. But think about how different that Oklahoma team looked when he was on the sideline compared to when he was on the field.”

Gabriel was clearly a difference maker. In relief appearances, Davis Beville went 15-of-30 passing for 102 yards and one interception.

It’s a small sample size, but Gabriel in the offense is night and day.

“That’s no disrespect to Davis Beville, who filled in for Dillon Gabriel,” McElroy said. “But that offense had zero juice when he was on the field when compared to the guy that I think is the best quarterback in the league coming into the 2023 season.”

As a member of the Class of 2019, Gabriel was a three-star recruit out of Mililani (Hawaii) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 7 overall prospect in the state, the No. 44 quarterback in the class and the No. 680 overall prospect in the class.