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Dillon Gabriel to don unique 3-team helmet in Senior Bowl
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Dillon Gabriel will go down in history as an FBS record-holder in many career quarterback stats. Now, he’s preparing for the NFL Draft and is set to participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
The week of preparation at the Senior Bowl is heating up with many draft prospects officially hitting the field on Saturday for the showcase game. Players in that game will don the helmets of their universities, but that understandably creates some issues for Gabriel.
To begin his career, Gabriel spent 3 years at UCF. He was among the most prolific passers in the country during the 2020 season as a sophomore before an injury-shortened campaign in 2021.
After that, Gabriel would head to the Big 12 to play for Oklahoma under Brent Venables. Playing under then-OC Jeff Lebby, Gabriel threw for over 6,800 yards and 73 touchdowns across 2 seasons with the Sooners, including a Big-12-leading 3,660 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2023.
Following Lebby’s departure to Mississippi State, Gabriel opted to utilize his final year of eligibility at Oregon in the 2024 season. While his season came to a crashing halt in the Rose Bowl, Gabriel led the Ducks to a 13-0 regular season and Big Ten title while finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
So, which team will Gabriel don for his Senior Bowl appearance? How about all 3?
Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, shared a sneak peek of Gabriel’s 3-team lid for the week, and it’s a nice tribute to the programs of UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. On one side is the OU logo, and the other side features the feather pattern that the Ducks use on their helmets.
The middle stripe on the helmet is gold and leads to the standard “UCF” logo on the back. It’s a nice way for Gabriel to recognize his contributions throughout every step of his career.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
