Former Josh Heupel QB picks favorable transfer destination for Tennessee Vols
Tennessee Vols head coach knows QB Dillon Gabriel quite well. Heupel was Gabriel's head coach while the two were together at UCF in 2019 and 2020. Heupel left Orlando for Knoxville in January 2021 to take over as the Vols' next head coach, while Gabriel remained at UCF for another year before heading to Oklahoma. […]
Tennessee Vols head coach knows QB Dillon Gabriel quite well. Heupel was Gabriel's head coach while the two were together at UCF in 2019 and 2020. Heupel left Orlando for Knoxville in January 2021 to take over as the Vols' next head coach, while Gabriel remained at UCF for another year before heading to Oklahoma.
It appeared the two were headed for a collision course on September 21 in Norman, Oklahoma when the Vols and Sooners are scheduled to collide in the latter's first-ever SEC game. Those plans changed when Gabriel announced he was entering the transfer portal on December 4.
The possibility remained that Heupel and Gabriel would still face off this year, as it seemed like a distinct possibility that Gabriel could reunite with his former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who is the new head coach at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are also on the Vols' 2024 schedule.
However, Heupel and the Vols will end up avoiding Gabriel entirely after Saturday's news, at least in the regular season. Gabriel announced that he will be transferring to Oregon.
Gabriel, who has had an accomplished career at UCF and Oklahoma, was perhaps the top QB in the transfer portal. Despite missing most of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury, he has thrown for 14,865 yards with 125 touchdown and 26 interceptions.
Facing Gabriel would have been a double-edged sword for Tennessee. He's an experienced and highly talented quarterback with a big arm that would have posed a significant challenge to the Vols' defense. However, Heupel obviously knows him extremely well having coached him for two years, so there would obviously be an advantage there in preparing for him based on Heupel's experience.
Regardless, Gabriel is now off to replace Bo Nix for the Big-Ten-bound Ducks, and the Vols will get ready to likely face another transfer quarterback next fall in Baylor transfer Blake Shapen when the Bulldogs come to Knoxville.
That's probably a tradeoff that Heupel is happy to see.
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