Current:Home > Contact-usBrent Venables says Oklahoma didn't run off QB Dillon Gabriel: 'You can't make a guy stay'-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Brent Venables says Oklahoma didn't run off QB Dillon Gabriel: 'You can't make a guy stay'
View Date:2025-01-11 01:06:17
Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables cleared up the narrative Tuesday surrounding the transfer of now-Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who left the Sooners after two seasons in the offseason.
The Sooners have experienced offensive issues in 2024, including from the quarterback position. Amid inconsistencies at the quarterback position — along with Jackson Arnold, the 2024 starter being benched for his true freshman backup, Michael Hawkins Jr. — questions have arisen regarding how Venables handled the transfer of Gabriel, who left for Oklahoma for Oregon in the offseason.
Venables, who explained the situation unprompted at his weekly news conference on Tuesday, said he met with his former quarterback prior to last season's Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona, in which Gabriel revealed to Venables he was opting out and not returning to Norman due to then-offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby taking the head coaching job at Mississippi State.
REQUIRED READING:OU football coach Brent Venables says Sooners did not run off QB Dillon Gabriel after 2023
Venables said he thought Gabriel was opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL, but Gabriel told him he planned on staying in college and playing closer to Hawaii, his home state.
"I didn't even know I had to fight this fight," Venables said. "I didn't realize (Gabriel) was even considering coming back."
Venables later added:
"You can't make a guy stay," Venables said. "The guy is trying to find the next thing; the next chapter for him. I'm sure there was probably some disappointment that (Gabriel) wasn't more highly thought of in the NFL. He had an amazing year. He was a fantastic quarterback. But we didn't run anybody off or things like that."
Gabriel was asked about Venables' comments at his own interview at Oregon later on Tuesday.
"Honestly it's so far gone," Gabriel said. "I just know God's got me right where I need to be. I've got a smile on my face every day because I'm in Eugene, Oregon, around a bunch of great guys. Of course, those are guys that are my brothers for life and guys I've played with. Like I said, it's people I still talk to on the team, players-wise. You focus on what you can control and that's right where I'm at. Like I said, I'm happy. I know God put me right where I need to be and I think that's all that needs to be said, honestly."
REQUIRED READING:Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel addresses Oklahoma departure after Brent Venables' comments
Gabriel, who has started nearly all of his appearances across six college seasons at UCF, Oklahoma and now Oregon, has completed 79 of 94 passes for 914 yards with six touchdowns this season. His 15,779 career passing yards currently rank seventh all time in NCAA history.
The Mililani, Hawaii, native had his best college season with the Sooners last year, passing for 3,660 yards with 30 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also rushed for 373 yards with 12 touchdowns.
veryGood! (753)
Related
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
- Manslaughter probe announced in Sicily yacht wreck that killed 7
- Stephen Baldwin Reacts to Daughter Hailey Bieber Welcoming First Baby With Justin Bieber
- Watch live: NASA set to reveal how Boeing Starliner astronauts will return to Earth
- Roy Haynes, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, dies at 99: Reports
- Layne Riggs injures himself celebrating his first NASCAR Truck Series win
- 'We dodged a bullet': Jim Harbaugh shares more details about Chargers elevator rescue
- US national parks are receiving record-high gift of $100M
- Crews battle 'rapid spread' conditions against Jennings Creek fire in Northeast
- Famed Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster is shut down after mid-ride malfunction
Ranking
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to CeeDee Lamb's excuse about curtains at AT&T Stadium
- Legendary USA TODAY editor Bob Dubill dies: 'He made every newsroom better'
- Kelly Osbourne says Slipknot's Sid Wilson 'set himself on fire' in IG video from hospital
- 'The Crow' original soundtrack was iconic. This new one could be, too.
- Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
- Double-duty Danny Jansen plays for both teams in one MLB game. Here’s how
- ‘We were expendable': Downwinders from world’s 1st atomic test are on a mission to tell their story
- Foo Fighters will donate to Kamala Harris after Trump used their song 'My Hero'
Recommendation
-
OneTaste Founder Nicole Daedone Speaks Out on Sex Cult Allegations Against Orgasmic Meditation Company
-
Sheriff: A 16-year-old boy is arrested after 4 people are found dead in a park in northwest Georgia
-
Four men found dead in a park in northwest Georgia, investigation underway
-
What’s behind the bloodiest recent attacks in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province?
-
Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
-
Katherine Schwarzenegger Reveals What Daughter Eloise Demands From Chris Pratt
-
Lake Mary, Florida, rallies to beat Taiwan 2-1 in 8 innings to win Little League World Series title
-
Stephen Baldwin Reacts to Daughter Hailey Bieber Welcoming First Baby With Justin Bieber