Oregon football: Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel thrives in PFF’s key categories

Ahead of the 2024 Oregon football season, PFF has noted how Dillon Gabriel stacks up against the elite quarterbacks in the country. It shouldn't shock anyone to see that he's included in several key QB categories.
Oregon Spring Football Game
Oregon Spring Football Game / Ali Gradischer/GettyImages
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It was a pretty big deal for Dan Lanning, Will Stein, and the Oregon Ducks to land Dillon Gabriel through the transfer portal. Gabriel thrived with the Oklahoma Sooners and UCF Knights and there wasn’t really a more experienced quarterback around the country. So, as the Oregon football team looked to replace Bo Nix, getting Gabriel was a big deal. 

According to recent analysis by Pro Football Focus (PFF), Oregon’s new signal-caller ranks among elite quarterbacks in several noteworthy categories. 

When taking a look at PFF’s data and rankings, Gabriel’s impressive performance was truly highlighted by his inclusion in several of PFF’s key categories for quarterbacks. The Oregon Ducks transfer quarterback is pretty highly regarded and seems capable of thriving for the Ducks’ offense this coming Oregon football season.

Oregon football: Dillon Gabriel listed on several PFF key quarterback categories

How many categories was Gabriel listed in? Well, let’s go over them:

  • Third-and-long (seven plus)
  • Wins above average
  • Passing grade with no play action
  • Passing grade on early downs (first and second)

Now, it’s worth bringing up that Gabriel is not the leader for any of these categories. Instead, the Ducks’ quarterback is included as one of the runner ups for each of those lists. But, there are only three players on each of those category lists, so it’s a pretty exclusive club for Gabriel to be included in.

And it’s also worth noting that Gabriel is listed on the lists for four different categories. He’s thriving here and that’s an exciting thing.

Gabriel arrived in Eugene with an abundance of experience and talent and it looks likely that he’s going to continue to excel as he plays for the Ducks this season. 

There’s a ton of talent around him, which will make it completely and totally possible for him to succeed in leading Oregon’s offense. The Ducks have dynamic receivers, a ton of talent at running back, and a robust offensive line. It seems likely that Gabriel will be having a ton of fun this season.