Lane Kiffin explains how Dillon Gabriel injury influenced his roster approach
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Lane Kiffin signed Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss despite having Austin Simmons set to be his starting quarterback. He brought Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet to LSU, even though he had Sam Leavitt. Some may call it quarterback paranoia, but Kiffin knows you don’t have to build contingencies in the moment if you have them ahead of time.
During an appearance on The Brandon Walker College Football Show, Kiffin revealed he always budgets for multiple quarterbacks during his roster planning process. He’s seen the ramifications of not doing so.
“We always go pay a second quarterback,” Lane Kiffin said. “When Oklahoma was a really, really good team… they lose [Dillon Gabriel] and they lose 50-0 against Texas… we’ve got three really good ones on our roster here because of that. You can’t just put everything into one quarterback. You really wasted your whole team… when that guy gets hurt.”
Following two standout seasons with UCF — and a third cut short by injury — Gabriel joined the Sooners alongside head coach Brent Venables in 2022. The eventual all-time FBS leader in touchdown passes missed one full game and part of a second that season, but Oklahoma’s offense hardly functioned without him.
The Sooners went 3-4 to end the season after Gabriel returned from his ailments. Each loss came by exactly three points. So far, Kiffin has not had to deal with QB injuries in 2026. He’s hoping that won’t change anytime soon, considering Sam Leavitt’s incredible play as of late. LSU hosts Alabama in a potential College Football Playoff elimination game on Nov. 7.
