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Oklahoma football: Top 5 reasons Dillon Gabriel will be an All Big-12 QB in 2023

By Brandon Self

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oklahoma Sooners prepares for a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 52-42. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oklahoma Sooners prepares for a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 52-42. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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The Offense’s Tempo Will Better Suite Gabriel

Sep 3, 2022; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby before the game against the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby before the game against the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the most frustrating aspects of the 2022 Sooners offense was the untimely tempo. There would be times the offense needed to be in a ‘hurry-up’ pace, and they wouldn’t be. There was also the opposite, where the offense would need to be conservative, and they’d be reloading quickly, not allowing the defense to rest. This led to rushed overthrows and miscommunications. That is changing in 2023.

In a March interview, Head Coach Brent Venables addressed offensive tempo in a way a defensive mind best could. “…we defended the most possessions in all of college football. So we’ve got to be more efficient at getting off the field, and then, we’ve got to be more efficient on both sides of the ball, of complementing each other.”

I take this as Venables telling Sooner Nation, “I know! Complimentary football is a major concern, and I’m handling it in 2023!” The second-year head coach has now learned, the hard way, his responsibility to control the team’s tempo. I think Venables will be more active in speeding up or slowing down Lebby’s play call speed in 2023.

Gabriel is comfortable operating a fast-paced offense. He’s good at making short to intermediate throws and reloading on the ball. What he’s not comfortable doing is working outside of an established tempo; most quarterbacks aren’t.

Oklahoma Red Team’s Dillon Gabriel (8) runs the ball during a spring scrimmage game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman Okla., on Saturday, April 22, 2023.Ou Spring
Oklahoma Red Team’s Dillon Gabriel (8) runs the ball during a spring scrimmage game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman Okla., on Saturday, April 22, 2023.Ou Spring /

Lebby’s tempo in the 2023 Spring game was quick, and Gabriel looked comfortable. In the Spring game, Gabriel was 12 of 18 for 139 yards and 3 touchdowns. If the tempo needs to slow down, which there will come times it will, it’ll happen before the offense goes onto the field, not mid-drive. Suppose the Sooners’ coaching staff, mainly the head man, have prioritized improving tempo and lessening defensive possessions in 2023. In that case, I feel this will allow Gabriel better opportunities to build preset reads into his attack. This helps any quarterback but especially one as dependent on tempo as Gabriel.

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