Dillon Gabriel called committing to Oregon 'easiest decision' of his life

Dillon Gabriel, basically, did not want to go anywhere else to finish his college football career. When he chose Oregon out of the portal, it couldn’t have been any easier.

Gabriel will captain a national title contender in 2024 in his last go ‘round before transitioning to the NFL in 2025. Now in the Big Ten, Oregon is a new face in an old place.

Still, Gabriel’s seen a lot in his six years and everything might fall into place at Oregon.

“I told you, it’s the easiest decision I’ve made in my life,” Gabriel said on Sirius XM. “And that’s just the alignment, you know, with coach Lanning and coach Stein, and the immediate conversation we had. It was more on that the surface level of, you know, how we’re going to do things, rather than if I’m going to do it. And, you know, I think when you make that decision, you’re full force, full go. 

“When I got there in January, January 3, to be exact, you know, I was just, I was all in, you know? And there’s learning curves, there’s ups and downs, but I’m grateful to be in the position I am. Because, who in year six would think that you’re still growing, you’re still uncomfortable, and you’re still pushing yourself. And, you know, conceptually, in the weight room, all you know, areas of your life. So, rather than being stagnant and comfortable, I appreciate the ability to keep growing.”

Gabriel’s been productive at UCF and Oklahoma, his two previous stops. After former quarterback Bo Nix had a career year in 2023 that turned into a first round draft selection, there are similar expectations.

But asked if Gabriel can handle that transition, coach Dan Lanning didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Oh he certainly can. I think any time that there’s transition, the challenge for you as a coach is to figure out what are your players’ strengths and what can you lean into for them,” Lanning said. “That’s something that great high school coaches do. They figure out what is their team good at and they put them in position to do that.

“The great thing about Dillon is he can do a lot of things well. So he fits us well. He has great experience. Seeing him get kind of encompassed into our system and get more and more comfortable is something we’re excited to see.”