The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone, and one of the surprising storylines was how the Cleveland Browns selected two quarterbacks. Shedeur Sanders was the face of the draft and was selected with the 144th overall pick, but the Browns also added Dillon Gabriel at No. 94.
Gabriel played for three schools over his six years in college, and now has to compete with Sanders and the rest of Cleveland’s quarterback room. Let’s take a closer look at the Hawaii native.
How Old Is Dillon Gabriel?
The former Oregon quarterback was born on December 28th, 2000, to native Hawaiian parents. Gabriel is 24 years old and took advantage of the NCAA’s COVID year of eligibility to play six college seasons. He is one of the older rookie quarterbacks in this year’s class.
His mother was a college softball player, and his father was a quarterback at the University of Hawaii. Gabriel was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and was named the 2018 Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year in football. He committed to the University of Central Florida.
Did Dillon Gabriel Have a Successful College Career?
Though Gabriel started the 2019 season as UCF’s second-string quarterback, he took over the role midway through the first game of the season and proceeded to close out the year as the Knights’ starter. They went 10-3 that year, with Gabriel throwing for 3,653 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also added four rushing touchdowns and had a 59.3% completion percentage.
Despite a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Gabriel’s per-game averages all increased, and he finished the year with 3,570 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. He earned a second-team All-AAC nomination for his efforts.
Gabriel remained at UCF after Josh Heupel left for Tennessee, but a broken clavicle ended his season after just three games. He entered the transfer portal and ended up committing to Oklahoma in December 2021.
Gabriel ended his first year as a Sooner 6-6, but he still threw for 3,168 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for six touchdowns. He was named a second-team All-Big 12..
Oklahoma bounced back in 2023 with a 10-3 season, with Gabriel finishing the year 10-2 as the starter. He finished with a career-high 42 touchdowns, throwing for 30 and rushing for 12. His 3,660 passing yards and 69.3% completion percentage were both career-highs for him at the time, and he earned first-team All-Big 12 recognition for the year.
Gabriel spent his last college season with the Oregon Ducks and led the team to its first Big 10 Conference Championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. He reached career highs in most passing categories, posting personal bests in completion percentage (72.9%), and passing yards (3,857). He added 37 total touchdowns (30 passing, seven rushing), and threw six interceptions.
He finished his collegiate career second all-time in FBS passing yards — 18,722 yards. He played in 64 total games, making him the NCAA Division I leader in the most games played by a quarterback.
Gabriel enters a unique situation in Cleveland. The team acquired Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco this offseason, then drafted Gabriel and Sanders. He’s walking into a crowded quarterback room, but his college career proves that Gabriel will be up to the task.