The University of Oregon football was one of the best teams in all of college football last season. They finished with a 12-2 record and were three points shy of topping Washington to make the College Football Playoff.
They are now set to embark on the 2024 season and their first year in the Big Ten Conference. However, they did lose plenty of key players from last year's squad, including quarterback Bo Nix. But, Oregon made plenty of additions in the transfer portal, with quarterback Dillon Gabriel looking set to be the most impactful of them all.
Heisman hopeful Dillon Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel was perhaps the best player in the country to hit the portal last winter. Gabriel began his career at the University of Central Florida, where he threw for 7,223 yards and 61 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions in his first two seasons there. Gabriel was on pace to replicate those numbers in 2021, but a broken collarbone in UCF's third game ended his year prematurely.
That wound up being the last game Gabriel played for the Knights. He transferred to the University of Oklahoma and the monster stats followed him there. Gabriel completed 66 percent of his passes, threw for 6,828 yards, and racked 55 touchdowns compared to just 12 picks. Perhaps his best moment in Norman was completing a comeback drive with 15 seconds to take down their bitter rivals in the Texas Longhorns.
Gabriel had plans of entering the 2024 NFL Draft, but he didn't get the feedback he wanted regarding his draft stock. That prompted him to return to college and enter the transfer portal. After seeing how Oregon raised Bo Nix's draft stock, it made sense that Gabriel chose them. The two hope for that decision to be mutually beneficial.
Oregon football's quest for a National Championship
After Nix left Eugene for the NFL, Oregon had a gaping hole at quarterback. Though they had eight players get drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, they had to find a veteran to fill the void Nix left behind with all the talent they are bringing over for the 2024 season.
On top of those players, plenty of extra ammunition is coming to Eugene for this upcoming season. Oregon had the third-best recruiting class in the country in 2024 according to 24/7 sports and ranked second in the transfer portal rankings. That included getting players like Texas A&M's Evan Stewart, Washington's Jabbar Muhammad, and Alabama's Peyton Woodyard.
Oregon has everything necessary to make the College Football Playoff and advance far in it with the new 12-team format. Whether or not that winds up happening hinges a lot on Gabriel and how he performs. Oregon's offensive system is very quarterback-friendly as Nix showed the last two seasons, and he and Gabriel have similar skillsets, so that, along with his experience, should make the transition go smoothly.
On top of that, Oregon has plenty of weapons at Gabriel's disposal. Stewart looks like one of the top wide receiver prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, the Ducks also have two offensive tackles who could be top draft picks in Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius. Their talent level is off the charts.
Oregon just needs someone who can make this talent coalesce all together, and it looks like Gabriel is the guy for the job. He's a great quarterback who can not only put up big numbers but can also step up in the biggest moments to help his team win. Getting Gabriel out of the transfer portal for the 2024 season was a major win for Oregon, and they will be hoping he can help them achieve all the goals they have for the upcoming season.
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