The quarterback had announced his intent to transfer from UCF to UCLA in mid-December before altering course.
The college football transfer portal is an ever-evolving ecosystem, and Monday saw a couple sizable dominoes fall with significant repercussions.
First, Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams announced he was entering the transfer portal after completing a sensational freshman season. Williams threw for 1,916 passing yards and 27 total touchdowns in 11 games, and in his statement released on Twitter said that a return to Oklahoma was “definitely” an option. A reunion seemed even more on the table when the Sooners put out a statement shortly afterward saying that the team would, “continue to be engaged with him and his family” about his future.
The odds of Williams staying put in Norman diminished later Monday evening, when the Sooners received a pledge from another transfer quarterback: Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel, who threw 70 touchdowns over the past three seasons for UCF, had originally announced his decision to transfer to UCLA in mid-December. With Williams on the way out at Oklahoma, Gabriel has now altered his path and will be heading to the Big 12.
Gabriel was one of college football’s most productive quarterbacks in his time at UCF. He threw for 32 touchdowns and just four interceptions in 2020. He threw 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2019, as UCF went 10–3. Gabriel was limited to just three games in 2021 after suffering a broken clavicle.
More College Football Coverage:
- Report: Oklahoma Hiring Clemson Assistant Todd Bates as DC
- Former OU QB Trevor Knight Offers Advice to Caleb Williams
- Nick Saban Doesn't Really See a Need to Expand the Playoff
- Report: Matt Corral's Injury in the Sugar Bowl Just an Ankle Sprain
- All Sooners: Kobie McKinzie Chose Football Over Money in Signing With Oklahoma
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