The case for Dillon Gabriel, the Oregon Duck

With portal wide open, a match between the Oregon Ducks and the former Oklahoma quarterback would write its own storylines.

Dillon Gabriel’s never been afraid to follow in sizable footsteps. He’s made somewhat of a habit out of it, actually.

Start with the father. Garrett Gabriel was his son’s earliest quarterback coach, and not just because it’s family first out in Mililani, Hawaii. Garrett’s a bit of a known commodity around the island of Oahu. He quarterbacked the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the late 80s, graduating as their single-season passing yards leader.  

His son, and pupil, would attend Mililani High School. There, he won Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior and by the end of his time with the program had surpassed former St. Louis High School signal callers Timmy Chang — the Rainbow Warriors’ head coach — and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, as the state’s all-time passing leader. 

But it was a third St. Louis quarterback he was really chasing. Just as Gabriel’s high school career got underway, he watched Marcus Mariota capture Oregon’s first ever Heisman Trophy. Gabriel idolized him. He still wears No. 8. 

In a time when the most trivial of associations can be pinpointed as a defining factor in the sweepstakes for a prized player via the NCAA Transfer Portal, it’s hard to ignore the connective tissue between Gabriel, who entered his name on Dec. 4, and the Oregon Ducks, whose fan base lionizes no player more than their famed, lei-wearing, Heisman-winning quarterback, Mariota.