JUST A MIUNITES: Oklahoma coach Brent Venables announces the return of quarterback Dillon Gabriel just to replaced……read more
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables took time to clear the air Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
Venables, without questioning, brought up a column that was written on Monday about former OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel and his departure from the program after last season. The column insinuated that the Sooners pushed Gabriel out the door to make way for 5-star recruit Jackson Arnold. Gabriel transferred to Oregon after starting for the Sooners in 2022 and 2023
Venables, who just made a quarterback switch between Arnold and freshman backup Michael Hawkins this week, detailed the situation of Gabriel parting ways with OU.
“Somebody brought it to my attention, there was a story that was written, not that it really matters, but at the same time,” Venables said unprompted at the end of his press conference, “at the end of the (2023) year, had a meeting after a few weeks, at the end of the season, where Dillon Gabriel came to visit with me. He wanted to have a meeting and let me know that he wasn’t gonna play in the bowl game. And so I had already caught wind, and he knew some other guys were opting out on the offensive line and things like that, and I did not know that, at that time, that he wasn’t going to go to the NFL
“We had a great conversation with him, disappointed that he wasn’t going to go play in the bowl game. And with the circumstances, coach (former offensive coordinator Jeff) Lebbyleaving and thought he wanted to get closer to home to Hawaii. I was like, ‘I didn’t know I had to fight this fight. I didn’t realize that you were even considering coming back.’ And he says, ‘Yeah, but I just really want to get closer to home.’ We hugged and shook hands. He was a little emotional and I was, but it was all really good and positive.”
