Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: Seven Sooners pivotal to OU’s success in 2023

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Billy Bowman (5) celebrates an interception with Danny Stutsman (28) and Jeffery Johnson (77) in the first half during the Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov., 19, 2022.
Oklahoma's Billy Bowman (5) celebrates an interception with Danny Stutsman (28) and Jeffery Johnson (77) in the first half during the Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov., 19, 2022. /
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Oct 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) warms up before the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) warms up before the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

QB Dillon Gabriel

It goes without saying that Dillon Gabriel, as the starting quarterback, is the most important player to the Sooners’ success in the coming season, certainly from an offensive perspective. It is important for Gabriel to stay healthy, although unlike a year ago when he was forced to miss a game and a half, the backup situation is dramatically better with five-star National Gatorade Player of the Year Jackson Arnold, the Sooners’ QB in waiting, next in line.

Gabriel, who has started 37 of 38 games in his career, is starting his fifth college season and is primed to have an even stronger season than his first one at OU. He threw for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns in the 2022 season and should top both of those numbers in 2023.

Gabriel may not be the best of the Oklahoma quarterbacks who have come along in the past decade, but he is highly efficient and clearly capable of leading the Sooners to nine or more wins this season, which is a major improvement over last season.

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