The Oregon Ducks won the sweepstakes for quarterback Dillon Gabriel this offseason. Oklahoma Sooners coach Brent Venables addressed Gabriel's transfer, which susprised him because he though Gabriel was headed to the NFL.
out amid the Sooners' benching of starter Jackson Arnold. Venables also said he was surprised when the quarterback told him he was considering staying atOklahoma coach Brent Venables celebrates with Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel after the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Oklahoma won 34-30.
"Had a meeting after a few weeks at the end of the season, where Dillon Gabriel came to visit with me," Venables said. "He wanted to have a meeting and let me know that he wasn't going to play in the bowl game. And so, I had already gotten wind, and he knew some other guys were opting out on the offensive line and things like that, and I did not know that at that time he wasn't going to go to the NFL.
"Disappointed that he wasn't going to go play in the bowl game, and the circumstances of coach Lebby leaving, and thought he wanted to get closer to home to Hawaii. And I was like, 'I didn't know I had to fight this fight, you know. I didn't realize that you were even considering coming back.' And he says, 'Yeah, but I just really want to get closer to home.' We hugged and shook hands, and he was a little emotional, but it was all really good and positive.
Venables bringing up the topic in the first place shows how highly he thought of Gabriel during their two seasons together. With questions surrounding their quarterback room as SEC play continues, the Sooners and their die-hard fans are certainly wishing thatOregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel looks for an opening during the second half of the annual rivalry game against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.
"Guy's trying to find the next chapter for him," Venables said. "I'm sure there was probably some disappointment that he wasn't more highly thought of in the NFL. Had an amazing year. He was a fantastic quarterback. But nobody running nobody off or things like that. So always, the veterans are good. I think I always said that the experienced player can do a little more than sometimes the young guys. But it's neither here nor there. But I did want to clear that up.
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