Why did Dillon Gabriel transfer to Oregon? Exploring the reasons behind former Oklahoma QB's decision

The timeline between former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel announcing his intention to enter the transfer portal and committing to playing for the Oregon Ducks was barely a week.

On Saturday, Gabriel announced that he was joining the Ducks to play under coach Dan Lanning.

There has been speculation that the presence of Jackson Arnold, Gabriel's backup QB, who was recruited from Denton Guyer High School, Texas, as a five-star athlete, may have put a clock on Gabriel's time at the Oklahoma Sooners.

However, head coach Brent Venables rubbished those claims during his weekly news conference.

"Well, the only thing I would say, you know, it didn't have anything to do with Jackson," Venables said. "I think Dillon had every intention to go to the NFL in his mind. This was going to be his last season. He's going to have a great year, put himself in position to go chase his dreams, you know, in the NFL."

Why did dillon gabriel leave Oklahoma?

One of the most obvious reasons was the departure of Jeff Lebby, the Oklahoma Sooners' offensive coordinator, and a major reason that Dillon Gabriel transferred from UCF to Oklahoma.

Lebby accepted his first head coaching job at the Mississippi Bulldogs, and almost immediately after the news broke, Gabriel announced his intention to leave.

In an interview with 107.7 The Franchise, Gabriel gave a further hint as to why he left Oklahoma to join the Oregon Ducks.

“I’m going to take some visits here in the next two weeks, and just check out what would make sense and kind of fits, like I said, what I’ve been kind of approaching to kind of see this thing through. Just know if I knew right now, I would tell you,” Gabriel said.

Bo Nix has exhausted his years of eligibility and might even win the Heisman to go out with a bang. The chance to join a team contending for the CFP spots could be a strong motivator for Gabriel.

Dillon Gabriel threw for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions with an inconsistent offense this season. On the other hand, his predecessor, Bo Nix, passed for 4,145 yards with 40 touchdowns and three interceptions this season.

Dillon Gabriel also joins a pass-heavy offense that turned Bo Nix into a Heisman contender; it could very well turn out to be the perfect fit for him as well.