Following OU’s 6-7 season in 2022, Dillon Gabriel reflected on the disappointing finish in hopes to lead the Sooners back to prominence in his second season at quarterback.
“It was good to go home,” the redshirt senior said Thursday. “But, it was a tough season for sure, don't get that twisted, for a lot of players and a lot of coaches, everyone involved. The family, the fans, everyone. (We have) a lot to reflect on and a lot to learn from, and we have to make sure we learn from it and be the change and flip the script for us. It's gonna be important, but it takes every single day.”
For Gabriel, a four-year starter across stints at UCF and OU, turning the page starts during spring practices. With a sense of continuity for the first time since he arrived in Norman, with coach Brent Venables and his staff entering year two, Gabriel is preparing for the next step.
“I think that's the next step, obviously, seeing where I can take this thing,” Gabriel said. “It’s not just where it's at, but taking (the team) to a whole other level. That's important on my end, but also just leading, being more vocal. This is my team, and I’m taking the full range of that. So, (I’m) just focusing on that and making sure I'm coming to work every day because I'm setting the tone.”
The redshirt senior struggled at times during the Sooners’ worst season since 1998. Gabriel found himself in the limelight when he made crucial mistakes, but he embraced the criticism.
Still, he touted some of the best numbers of any quarterback in the Big 12, passing for 3,168 yards — the second-highest total in the conference — with 31 total touchdowns to six interceptions in 12 games.
Last season, Gabriel experienced the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, a program with four Heisman-winning quarterbacks. He met Baker Mayfield for Mayfield’s Heisman statue unveiling last spring, and will likely do so again with Kyler Murray on April 22.
“(The pressure), it just comes with the position,” Gabriel said. “I'm prepared for it. I've been doing it my whole life. I knew what I was getting into, but I'm blessed to be here. I'm grateful for this opportunity. I know it's a blessing to be here, so I don't take that ever lightly. Just coming in with that approach has been really good for me.”
Redshirt junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel during the Sooners' fall football camp on Aug. 16, 2022.
The Mililani, Hawaii, native felt he found his mental groove toward the end of last season, despite a 1-3 finish in the final four games.
In his final regular-season start, Gabriel passed for 449 passing yards and six touchdowns in a 51-48 loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock on Nov. 27. Then in the Sooners’ bowl game against No. 13 Florida State, Gabriel nearly led OU to an upset victory with 243 passing yards and two total touchdowns in a 35-32 loss on Dec. 29.
“I think I just want to play my game and be really consistent, be accurate and obviously win,” Gabriel said. “That's always been a big emphasis for me. Whether it is just having that attitude, it's a habit and just emphasizing that habit with every rep. Obviously that's the goal, but making that a point of emphasis this season.”
Gabriel is also mentoring freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, a five-star early enrollee who will likely be Gabriel’s successor.
The two quarterbacks have gotten along well, and Gabriel’s been impressed with Arnold’s physical and mental makeup.
“He's just a good dude,” Gabriel said of Arnold. “Physically, he's got everything. … But he’s just learning and going through, you know, freshman things.
“More than his game, I just like the type of person he is. I think it takes that kind of person to be a quarterback, being super selfless, loving and caring. And that's what we need, not ‘me guys,’ but ‘we guys.’”
With Oklahoma’s spring game on April 22, Gabriel is hoping to guide Oklahoma into a successful season in year two. For Gabriel, and the entire team following him, it starts with reflecting on losses from last season and turning the corner in the right areas.
"You gotta be the guy who sets the tone,” Gabriel said. “(You have to be) the guy who comes ready to work and can influence others. That’s what a leader does, (they) make other people around them better and, obviously, it starts with me.”
This story was edited by Austin Curtright and Colton Sulley. Ansley Chambers copy edited this story.
