Venables on Gabriel exit: ‘Can’t make a guy stay’

With Oklahoma navigating an unexpected quarterback change, coach Brent Venables offered unprompted insight Tuesday afternoon into the circumstances surrounding veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel‘s departure from the program late last year.

Gabriel, a sixth-year quarterback, spent two seasons under center with the Sooners before transferring to Oregon for the 2024 campaign. Days after Oklahoma benched Gabriel’s replacement — former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold — in Saturday’s Week 4 loss to Tennessee, Venables used his weekly news conference to deliver his perspective on Gabriel’s exit into the transfer portal after the 2023 season and the meeting that preceded it.

“You can’t make a guy stay,” the Sooners’ third-year coach 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, who began his career at UCF in 2019, threw for 6,828 yards and 55 touchdowns across two seasons with the Sooners. He entered his second season at Oklahoma last fall with plans to enter the 2024 NFL draft before leading the Sooners to a 10-2 finish during the regular season, highlighted by a come-from-behind victory over Texas on Oct. 7.

Despite a productive 2023 season, Gabriel did not receive favorable NFL draft grades after his fifth season, a development that influenced his decision to return to college football in 2024.

According to Venables, Gabriel asked for a meeting in the days following Oklahoma’s 2023 regular-season finale against TCU. During the meeting, Venables said, Gabriel outlined his plans to enter the transfer portal and to opt out of the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl matchup with Arizona, citing the departure of offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and a desire to play closer to home among his reasons.

“I did not know at that time that he wasn’t going to go to the NFL. … I didn’t even know I had to fight this fight,” Venables said. “I didn’t even realize that you were even considering coming back. And he says, ‘Yeah, but I just want to get closer to home’. We hugged and shook hands. He was a little emotional and I was. It was all really good and positive.”

Gabriel, who is from Hawai’i, has thrown for 914 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions for the undefeated Ducks this season.

The circumstances of his departure from Oklahoma came back into focus this week with the Sooners in the midst of upheaval at the quarterback position.

Gabriel’s exit last December cleared the path for Arnold, a coveted prospect, to step in under center this fall. Arnold made his first career start in the 2023 Alamo Bowl, finishing 26-of-45 passing for 361 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in a 38-24 loss to Arizona. Arnold started the first four games of his sophomore season this fall before he was benched in Week 4 after starting 7-of-16 for 54 yards with three turnovers in a 25-15 loss to Tennessee on Saturday.

During his “Sooner Sports Talk” coaches show Monday, Venables confirmed the Sooners would start freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. at Auburn in Week 5.

“I expressed to Jackson that this is a moment,” Venables said Tuesday. “Jackson’s going to have an amazing future and career. He’s going to play this game [for] a long time. All of that will work itself out in due time.”

After replacing Arnold before halftime against Tennessee, Hawkins finished 11-for-18 with 132 yards and a touchdown to go with 22 rushing yards in his most significant playing time. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound freshman will make his first career start Saturday when Oklahoma visits Auburn (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

“Maybe this will give us a better chance moving forward,” Venables said. “I believe in Mike. I made that announcement for a lot of reasons. Certainly didn’t want a decision like that to hang over anyone’s head. We got to get better.”