Big 12 Football: 4 potential transfer destinations for OU QB Dillon Gabriel
Chaos has ensued around the Big 12 football conference and the college football landscape, with the NCAA Transfer Portal window opening for underclassmen on Dec. 4. Multiple high-profile players have already entered the transfer portal or are expected to do so soon, with the window opening early this week.
Regarding high-profile Big 12 transfers, the biggest names that have surfaced in the portal are mostly quarterbacks. Multiple starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 this year have entered the portal. Here are just a few names that have surfaced among Big 12 starting signal-callers in the portal as of late in the morning on Dec. 4.
- Dillon Gabriel, OU
- Will Howard, Kansas State
- Tyler Shough, Texas Tech
- Blake Shapen, Baylor
Top possible landing spots for big-time Big 12 football QB transfer Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel and Howard were two of the biggest and most surprising portal entrants among Big 12 quarterbacks in this cycle. Another successful season and coaching stability under head coach Chris Klieman didn’t stop Howard from entering the portal.
And while Oklahoma has the same head coach, it did lose offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. The Mississippi State Bulldogs hired Lebby to fill its head coaching vacancy.
A combination of Lebby leaving Oklahoma and the former five-star quarterback recruit and freshman Jackson Arnold potentially challenging for the starting job next year in the SEC were likely factors in Gabriel’s decision to transfer.
Here are four potential transfer destinations for Gabirl heading into the offseason.
UCLA
Before head coach Brent Venables, Lebby, and the Sooners made a late run at his portal recruitment, Gabriel was expected to join the UCLA Bruins as a transfer a couple of years ago. Gabriel was committed to head coach Chip Kelly and the Bruins early in the 2022 offseason before he de-committed and eventually signed with the Sooners.
UCLA could make sense for Gabriel this time around in the portal. The Bruins are reportedly (per 247Sports) a school Gabriel is considering among his top options in the portal heading into the offseason.
Kelly and the Bruins are searching for a starting quarterback in the portal this offseason after losing the former elite five-star recruit and true freshman Dante Moore in this transfer cycle. Gabriel could be the answer they’re looking for as an immediate impact starter with proven experience at the Power Five level.