AAC coach points to big concern with Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison08/16/22

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Dillon Gabriel is one of the most anticipated transfers of the 2022 season. Moving from UCF to Oklahoma, many think Gabriel could even crash the Heisman Trophy party, with +3000 odds. However, one anonymous AAC coach points out a big concern with Gabriel at Oklahoma.

The AAC coach, who played against Dillon Gabriel while he was at UCF, does have some insight given the prep put into playing UCF. He also praised Gabriel for the most part.

“He’s really good, and he’s got a little magic about him, too,” the AAC coach said to ESPN. “t will be interesting to see how he fits.”

“The one thing I would be concerned about if I was an Oklahoma fan is, those guys like to run their quarterbacks. You look at Matt Corral and guys that typically play in their offense, they usually don’t make it through the season. Gabriel has kind of a history of getting banged up. He’s not very big.”

This AAC coach is right that Dillon Gabriel is undersized as a runner, which can lead to injuries like the broken collarbone he suffered against Louisville. He even left UCF because he didn’t like Gus Malzahn’s offense, which calls for a running quarterback.

At the same time, it’s not like Dillon Gabriel is incapable of running. At one point, he was committed to running the triple option at Army, after all. He also has a history of working with Jeff Lebby, who was his offensive coordinator at UCF in 2019. He’s a leader with a big arm that Lebby loves. So, the two know what to expect from one another.

This AAC coach could be right, but Dillon Gabriel has proven to be a winner during his college career. Given the situation, it would be hard for Oklahoma fans to be in a better position at quarterback.

“But he’s a winner and he’s a tough guy,” the AAC coach said.