Three Teams, 153 Touchdowns: Dillon Gabriel’s Long Road Toward Another NCAA Record

Three Teams, 153 Touchdowns: Dillon Gabriel’s Long Road Toward Another NCAA Record

EUGENE, Ore. — Picture this: the vibe king of college football, Dillon Gabriel, is in his element. Fresh from a Tuesday morning practice with the No. 1 team in the country, he sits comfortably in Oregon’s quarterback room. With a takeout box of crispy chicken, beef teriyaki, rice, and macaroni salad in hand, Gabriel is right at home. “It’s everything I thought it would be and more, honestly,” he says, reflecting on his season with the Ducks.

Gabriel’s journey has been nothing short of epic. A six-year odyssey of quarterbacking across the nation has brought him to Oregon, where he’s chasing an unforgettable ending. The Ducks are tantalizingly close to their first-ever national championship, just three wins away. Gabriel, who began his college career in 2019 after moving from Hawaii, has truly seen it all.

His path has taken him through UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon, making him the most experienced starting quarterback in major college football history. Gabriel has 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,” says Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson.

Gabriel already holds the NCAA record for total touchdowns (187) and is on the brink of breaking another record. With 153 career touchdown passes, he 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. If the Ducks go all the way, he could become the NCAA’s all-time leading passer.

Finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty was an honor, but Gabriel was never chasing that. His mission has always been about championships, the one thing that has eluded him 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 his teammates to reflect on his journey. “God’s got a weird way of just putting you where you need to be,” Gabriel muses. “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?”

Gabriel’s journey began at UCF in 2019, under coach Josh Heupel. The Knights were searching for a quarterback while McKenzie Milton recovered from a devastating leg injury. Gabriel, a true freshman from Hawai’i, was making a push to play right away. “There’s a reason why Dillon had to step in and play as a freshman,” recalls UCF WR Marlon Williams. “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.”

Williams continues, “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 adds, “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.”

Gabriel’s freshman year was a learning experience. “The growing pains were real,” he admits. “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.”

One of Gabriel’s early challenges was working with receiver Gabriel Davis, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Gabe was like the big brother,” Gabriel recalls. “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 adds, “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’s time at UCF was marked by both triumphs and tragedies. He connected with Otis Anderson Jr. for his first career touchdown pass. Anderson, a versatile running back and receiver, tragically died in 2021. “He was just a great kid and a great dude,” Gabriel reflects. “It’s like… you question it, right? Why certain people, when they literally do no wrong?”

Another teammate, Jake Hescock, died suddenly of cardiac arrest in 2022. “God, this one hurts,” Gabriel says. “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.”

Gabriel’s journey continued at Oklahoma, where he reunited with Jeff Lebby, his former UCF offensive coordinator. “It was so last minute, literally down to the wire,” Gabriel recalls. “But you kind of have that blind faith. I trusted in Leb and where that was going.”

Oklahoma WR Drake Stoops remembers Gabriel’s impact: “There was a lot of uncertainty in the air at this point, and we needed a quarterback, obviously. I remember my coach telling me, hey, we got somebody who has thrown for so many yards and touchdowns, that he’s a baller. I was really excited. Honestly, he couldn’t have been a better fit for that time and to ease everybody’s minds.”

Gabriel’s time at Oklahoma was marked by memorable moments, including a game-winning drive against Texas. “That was one of my favorite moments of my entire time at Oklahoma,” Stoops says. “Because the year before that, we got beat 49-0. Texas came in the next year thinking that s— was sweet. And it wasn’t.”

Now at Oregon, Gabriel is continuing Marcus Mariota’s legacy of Hawaiian QBs in Eugene. “I just think a sixth year is so unique,” he says. “Not a lot of people have done it. You’ve got to be around people you trust, people who understand. There are a lot of vets here. It’s probably the oldest team I’ve been on. They’re mature. They handle success well and they handle adversity well.”

Oregon HC Dan Lanning praises Gabriel’s poise: “This team believes in him. They’re grateful every day that they get to step on the field with him. He’s about connection and people first. But the poise that he shows in big games is unmeasured. I haven’t been around players like Dillon. I’m really grateful I get to share the field with him.”

As Gabriel’s college career nears its conclusion, his teammates and coaches are rooting for him to finish on top. “If there’s anybody that deserves a national championship, it’s definitely him,” says Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson. “Because of all the work I’ve seen him put in and all the trials and tribulations that he’s gone through. I feel like they’re going to go all the way.”

When asked about his favorite touchdown pass, Gabriel grins and says, “The next one.”