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Destiny awaits No. 1 Oregon on several fronts this weekend. In his third season, coach Dan Lanning has his team one game away from regular-season perfection. Throughout a season filled with parity, the Ducks have been a model of consistency from start to finish.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel continues to chase the NCAA career passing record. He has been part of a balanced team that leads the Big Ten in passing, sports a 1,000-yard rusher (Jordan James) and is second in the Big Ten in allowing third-down conversions. Only seven other teams have allowed fewer touchdowns than the Ducks (22).
As Oregon prepares for Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game with Penn State, Gabriel is the lefty fire-starter of it all. His journey has spanned three programs, two land masses and a cultural divide. Culturally, he is the latest great quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender to come out of Hawaii, following in the footsteps of Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagovailoa.
The transfer portal was implemented in the middle of Gabriel’s senior season at Mililani (Hawaii) High School in 2018. COVID-19 hit in 2020. Gabriel was then among thousands of athletes who got an extra year of eligibility. NIL debuted in the summer of 2022, while the one-time transfer rule was voted in two months later.
Collectives have been around for 2 ½ years.
Gabriel has been both a witness to and participant of this new age, transferring from UCF to Oklahoma following that 2021 season and again to Oregon following last season. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables would later confirm Gabriel’s draft evaluation had something to do with the quarterback leaving the Sooners.
Oregon was a prime destination because it was closer to home. Offensive coordinator Will Stein had just gotten done developing Bo…
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Author : Dennis Dodd
Publish date : 2024-12-06 16:31:00
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