The vibe king of college football is in his natural element. He’s leaning forward in his chair inside Oregon’s quarterback room, fresh out of a Tuesday morning practice with the No. 1 team in the country. Dillon Gabriel feels right at home in this space as he picks through a takeout box of crispy chicken, beef teriyaki, rice and macaroni salad.
“It’s everything I thought it would be and more, honestly,” Gabriel said of his season with the Ducks.
A six-year journey of quarterbacking across the country has brought him here to chase an unforgettable ending. The Ducks are three wins away from their first-ever national championship. They’ve come this far with a QB who has truly seen it all since he moved from Hawaii to begin college in 2019.
Through stops at UCF, Oklahoma and now Oregon, Gabriel has become the most experienced starting quarterback in major college football history. He achieved 10-plus-win seasons at all three schools and has been an all-conference performer in three different leagues.
“He’s doing stuff no one’s ever done,” Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson said.
Gabriel already owns the NCAA record for total touchdowns (187), and he’s about to break another record. He has thrown 153 career touchdown passes and enters the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl against Ohio State (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) just three touchdowns away from surpassing Case Keenum’s FBS record. He could become the NCAA’s all-time leading passer, too, if the Ducks go all the way.
Finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty was an honor but one he was never chasing. The mission was championships. That’s the only thing Gabriel hasn’t achieved over six seasons and more than 4,300 career snaps.
As Gabriel closes in on rings, records and the final days of a 63-game college career, ESPN sat down with the Ducks’ quarterback and also asked the players who know him best — the teammates who have hauled in those 153 touchdowns — to reflect on where he began, what he gained and lost, and who he became in the process of chasing greatness across the sport.
“God’s got a weird way of just putting you where you need to be,” Gabriel said. “My goal is to just trust that and have a sense of peace knowing that what happens will be. It’s about how can I give myself the best shot by the way I work, coming in every day, not wasting a day. There really is no tomorrow. Why wait for it?
“That’s kind of been my motto for this year. And that’s all because of the s— I’ve been through.”
Part 1: UCF
Back in 2019, coach Josh Heupel was leading UCF in the American Athletic Conference, four seasons before the program joined the Big 12. Name, image and likeness compensation was still two years away. The Knights were searching for a QB entering 2019 while McKenzie Milton recovered from devastating leg injury. Dillon Gabriel, a true freshman from Hawai’i, was making a push to play right away.
UCF WR Marlon Williams: There’s a reason why Dillon had to step in and play as a freshman. D.J. Mack Jr. was our starting quarterback. He was playing intramural basketball at the rec at UCF right before camp and broke his ankle. The coaches made sure there was no more basketball after that. I think they used to have coaches pop in over there randomly just to make sure we weren’t there.
I was like, ‘Aw man, this is going to be a long season.’ But after we saw Dillon throw it around a couple times, we were like, ‘Oh, we’ll be fine.’
UCF WR Tre Nixon: His energy was contagious. He was excited to be out there. You could tell he’s passionate about football. I think a guy coming in as a freshman and having that same energy every single day, being around someone like that brings the fun back into football. That’s the first thing I noticed about Dillon that was different from every other freshman.
Williams: He was still a young guy, a little immature. But we all saw he was going to be the player he is today. That’s why he played.
UCF RB Adrian Killins Jr.: Any chance Dillon got, he wanted to compete. He wasn’t being arrogant or anything like that. He was just trying to bring a different element to the team.
I’ll never forget, we were in training camp his freshman year and he was worried he didn’t have a good camp and fell in the depth chart. He was down on himself, being very negative, and that’s normal. I told him, ‘Bro, you got to stop being so soft. Stop being so sensitive. Toughen up. Just compete. Just go out there and be you.’
QB Dillon Gabriel: He’s like, ‘Get out your feelings, bro. Stop pouting and s—.’ My young, competitive freshman self was a little emotionally uncontrollable. He was like the Yoda for me.
Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush won the starting job out of fall camp, but Gabriel would play in the season opener as well and led four touchdown drives in a 62-0 win over Florida A&M. He started the rest of the way for a 10-3 team.
Gabriel: Whether I liked it or not, it kept me hungry and kept me working. I remember [Heupel] told the team: Brandon is going to be our starter, but Dillon is going to play the third drive. I was like, ‘F—.’ But who would I be to be mad about that when I still have my opportunity to go show what I can do?
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Williams: He was definitely supposed to be our starter.
Gabriel: That first time you get out there, it’s like the oblivious kind of thought process. You really don’t know what to expect, so you’re just doing. That gave me some peace of mind. Just go play and learn. It allowed me to flourish. You learn throughout that time but, as a freshman, you’re a little more reckless.
Nixon: The freshman year Dillon I knew was more playing around and funny to be around and joking. When he got thrown to the wolves and now he has to start producing, you could see the transition in his maturity level.
Gabriel: The growing pains were real. I didn’t get the privilege to learn on a practice field. I learned in front of everyone. They had to see it all, and some of it was really good. I loved the experience because it’s made me such a different human being now.
But there is a lot that comes with it, a lot you don’t even think about. You have to manage it while being a college student and a kid and figuring out who you really want to be. How can you be authentic but be a leader and push and all this while being 18 years old?
One thing Gabriel didn’t have to worry about was having talent to throw to at UCF. Williams would become his go-to receiver with 119 completions for 1,715 yards and 15 TDs. But Gabriel was challenged early on by receiver Gabriel Davis, the future fourth-round pick now playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Gabriel: Gabe was like the big brother. He kind of teased me a little bit, poked fun at me, which I loved, too. He was a junior going to the pros and was so driven and you’d see the way he worked. He’d come up to me like, ‘Throw me the f—ing ball.’
Williams: Gabe used to go off on him. He’s like, ‘Man, please throw me the ball.’ It wasn’t nothing bad, but I get it. Gabe was trying to go to the league. So he’s like, ‘Man, make sure you throw me the ball.’ And Dillon was like, ‘Man, why is he like that?’
Gabriel: He was physical and fearless. He would point people out in one-on-ones like, ‘Get over here.’ Like nobody does that. He’s like, ‘I want you.’ Then he’d go kill you in a route and then give you the ball.
Williams: You got to watch how you talk. Dillon is an alpha, don’t get me wrong, but he’s from Hawai’i. It’s a little bit nicer out there. His freshman year, he used to be like, ‘Bro, relax, Gabe.’ And he’d hear, ‘Nah man, throw me the ball!’
Gabriel: But I respected it. And I look back at it like, man, I wish I could adopt that mentality sooner, you know? He’s a big part in my journey because of that.
Williams: I think that helped him as a player. He’ll be really prepared when he goes to the league. He won’t hear anything new, I’ll tell you that.
Gabriel: I love Gabe to death and how he opened my eyes up. I needed to be challenged at that age — by a friend, too, and not a coach.
Killins: That jump from Year 1 to Year 2 for Dillon, it was legit night and day with the way he carried himself more like a professional and the way he talked.
Williams: I think Dillon is a great leader because there were a lot of great leaders at UCF. You had to be a leader or somebody that took care of business to play. He got to learn it from a lot of guys, especially McKenzie.
McKenzie Milton was the one who persuaded Heupel to recruit Gabriel to UCF. He mentored Gabriel throughout his first two years before transferring to Florida State after the 2020 season.
Nixon: McKenzie is a one-of-a-kind person. To have him mentor you and let you know the ins and outs, what he sees on a play, I can only imagine how much that helped Dillon from a preparation standpoint and feeling more confident from day to day.
Gabriel: And did he have to? F— no. He didn’t have to do anything. But he went out of his way, and I love him for it. That’s my brother for life.
Killins: It was nothing but love between them. It was next man up, I’m passing the torch to you, let’s keep this thing going.
The first touchdown pass of Gabriel’s career was to Otis Anderson Jr., UCF’s versatile running back and receiver. He would connect with Anderson for two more scores that season. Gabriel also found a reliable target in tight end Jake Hescock, whom he’d throw five touchdowns to during his career. Tragedies later befell both teammates.
Anderson died on Nov. 29, 2021. The 23-year-old was fatally shot in the chest by his father during an argument. Otis Anderson Sr. pled guilty to armed manslaughter and was sentenced to 12½ years in prison.
Williams: We were in the group chat and Otis texted us the night of like, ‘Man, I’ll talk to y’all later.’ I went to sleep and, two hours later, he was gone.
Gabriel: He was just a great kid and a great dude. It’s like… you question it, right? Why certain people, when they literally do no wrong? Everyone loved Otis. You can ask anyone, and that’s even if he was still here on this Earth, they’d have not one bad thing to say about Otis, because he’s just amazing. He was a running back/receiver/returner, a great player in that way, but he was a great person and you just loved being around him. He made you feel better. He was quieter, so when he talked, you felt special.
Williams: It’s the reason why I still play. I know one of my teammates was still playing, still chasing his dream.
A year later, the teammates lost Hescock. He died suddenly of cardiac arrest on Dec. 11, 2022, while jogging in Boston. He was 25.
Gabriel: God, this one hurts. When I left UCF, he’s a guy who’d reach out and call me. He was supposed to come out to an Oklahoma game and see us. He was a guy who’s always been supportive. I remember going over to his house for UFC fights. It’s just crazy, you know? He wasn’t the freakiest player. He was OK with not going to the league and enjoyed his college career. He was for the boys.
Nixon: Hescock was another guy who made football fun. Football’s a tough sport when you’re out there in that 90-degree weather with pads on, hitting all day, sweating, cramping up. Having guys on the team like Hescock, Otis and Dillon, those positive energies, it makes football fun and it makes it worth going through that struggle with your team.
Life is just so precious, man. I just wish I could go back and spend more time with them, hang out with them more, get to know them better. I know they’re in a better place now, and I just hope their families find some type of peace through these tough times.
Gabriel: He always tried to look out for me and make me feel supported as a young quarterback. It goes a long way. He went out of his way. That’s why it hurts, too. I love him and my heart goes out to his family, because he was just a good dude.
Williams: After that, we made it a point that if any of us are in town or we know we’re in the same area, we’ve got to hang out. It definitely made teammates a lot closer. Earlier today, me and [Killins] and a couple guys were in our group message reminiscing on the old times. We do that all the time, and I think it’s because of what happened. Of course we were always close, but that was that extra push to make sure, hey, y’all stay in touch with each other.
We still talk about them. It’s still tough sometimes, but I think it’s easier when you’ve got guys you can confide in and talk about it with.
Killins: They were so young. Life is just crazy, man. I still talk to both of their families, Otis’ mom and Jake’s mom.
Three games into his junior season, Gabriel suffered a season-ending fractured clavicle on the final play of a loss to Louisville. After focusing on his recovery for two months, he was ready for a fresh start and entered the transfer portal.
Years later, though, he wishes his three years at UCF had a different ending.
Gabriel: I was young, and I feel like they didn’t get to see the me that was more mature, more experienced, more knowledgeable about life and football. I just love that place. I had that special relationship with McKenzie and so many great coaches, so many great people. And then it was, like, anticlimactic. Like the finish was like a dot dot dot. You didn’t even get the ending, you know?
Nixon: Any teammate that’s been around Dillon can attest to this: The dude is just fun to be around. You want to play hard for him. He’s one of them guys who truly tries to get to know you on a personal level and cares about you as a person. I think nowadays that’s very rare. You can’t really tell what’s real and what’s fake anymore. But with Dillon, he’s been the same guy from the moment he was a freshman. He’s still the same guy and he’s leading Oregon, the undefeated No. 1 team in the nation.
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