Former UCF QB Dillon Gabriel is an ideal transfer target for Texas

There is sure to be a lot of roster attrition ahead for new head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program heading into next offseason, largely by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal. Sark is already vocal this month about some potential roster changes on the horizon heading into next offseason.

We already have a few former Longhorns players that have entered the transfer portal. And it was just recently that the first notable former Longhorns player found his next home out of the transfer portal, with the former elite five-star recruit and junior safety Tyler Owens landing with the Texas Tech Red Raiders this week.

One particular position that Sark and the Longhorns are likely to look into early and often in the transfer portal is at quarterback. And maybe the best quarterback to appear in the transfer portal to date came about on Nov. 27.

Former UCF Knights star and under-the-radar three-star recruit Dillon Gabriel announced on his Twitter timeline on the early afternoon of Nov. 27 that he would be putting his name in the transfer portal entering the offseason. The junior UCF star quarterback spent three years playing for the Knights but was injured throughout much of the 2021 campaign.

Gabriel only played in three games for UCF this fall, which could be his last with the program under former Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn.

Texas football should seriously consider the idea of pursuing UCF transfer QB Dillon Gabriel

This caliber of quarterback appearing in the transfer portal could be just what Sark and the Longhorns needed. Gabriel is a proven stud at the quarterback position that was one of the best at the Group of Five level heading into this season.

In his bits and pieces of three years playing for UCF, Gabriel registered more than 8,000 passing yards, 70 passing touchdowns, just 14 interceptions, a 60.7 completion percentage, 9.8 adjusted yards per passing attempt, and a 156.9 passer efficiency rating. He was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the Group of Five last season too.

The 6-foot and 200-pound Gabriel has a big arm, a good deep ball, and a decent amount of mobility for a pro-style quarterback. He registered more than 370 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns during his time at UCF.

Gabriel was also one of the highest-graded quarterbacks in the entire country last season.

So, the real question that matters here is how does Sark feel about the potential fit between Gabriel and the Longhorns?

Also, if Gabriel isn’t interested in landing with Texas, that aforementioned question doesn’t even matter. But the ability to compete immediately for the starting job and have the supporting cast that he could at the skill positions with an offensive mind like Sark’s seems like an opportunity that would be difficult to pass up for Gabriel.

He would have the ability to play alongside the likes of star sophomore running back Bijan Robinson, junior Roschon Johnson, redshirt sophomore Keilan Robinson, freshman wideout Xavier Worthy, redshirt sophomore Jordan Whittington, etc. heading into next season. That would be a pretty potent group if Sark could make that happen for the Longhorns.

Texas currently has redshirt junior Casey Thompson and sophomore Hudson Card as the two quarterbacks that duked it out for the starting job this fall. But landing Gabriel could shift the quarterback landscape as a whole in the Big 12 next season if he came to the Forty Acres.