Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is set to make his first start of the 2025 NFL season in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings in London, taking over from veteran Joe Flacco and being promoted ahead of Shedeur Sanders. Here’s a closer look at the Browns’ new QB1 — his college background, family, and hometown.
Where Did Dillon Gabriel Play College Football?
Gabriel turned out to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in NCAA history, having played college football at UCF and Oklahoma before transferring to Oregon for his final season.
A Hawaii native, he burst onto the scene as a freshman at UCF in 2019, throwing 29 touchdowns and leading the Knights to a 10-3 record. After two prolific seasons, a 2021 injury ended his time in Orlando. Gabriel then transferred to Oklahoma in 2022, reuniting with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
In two seasons with the Sooners, he posted back-to-back 3,000-yard campaigns, broke program records, and earned All-Big 12 honors. In his final season at Oregon in 2024, Gabriel replaced Bo Nix and led the Ducks to a Big Ten title while finishing as a Heisman finalist.
By the end of his college career, Gabriel had amassed 18,722 passing yards, 155 passing touchdowns, and 189 total scores — numbers that put him among the most accomplished quarterbacks in FBS history. According to PFSN’s College QB impact score, he was graded 79.8 in his NCAA career, with his best outings coming in his final two seasons.
Cleveland Browns Pick Dillon Gabriel At 2025 NFL Draft
After a stunning 2024 college season, completing 72.9 percent of passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions, he became a first-team All-American, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
The Browns added him to the QB room in the third round as the 94th pick overall.
Dillon Gabriel’s Hometown
Gabriel was born and raised in Mililani, Hawaii. He starred at Mililani High School, where he set passing records and broke the Hawaii state high school record for career passing yards, previously held by Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa.
Eventually, he became one of the top recruits from the state. Hawaii’s rich football culture shaped his playing style, and when he takes the field on Sunday, he’ll make Hawai’i history as the first quarterback from a public high school in the islands ever to start an NFL game.
Dillon Gabriel’s Fiancée
Gabriel got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Zoe Caswell, a day after his Ducks debut in September 2024. The couple has been together since middle school, though, in Caswell’s words, their first interaction was rather awkward.
While details about Caswell’s professional career aren’t publicly available, she has been a constant presence at Gabriel’s games through UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Still, she admitted to feeling nervous watching the quarterback play.
“We met in the summer of seventh or sixth grade,” Caswell once said about Gabriel. Actually, because we were both new to his school, so we had an orientation class. We met gardening, funny enough, and he kept coming closer and closer to me, and I was like, ‘Who’s this weird guy?’ That weird guy.”
Caswell soon fell for that “weird guy,” and they began dating in 11th grade. After his debut with Oregon, Gabriel surprised her with a proposal, getting down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage.
Dillon Gabriel’s Family
The quarterback was born on Dec. 28, 2000, in Mililani, Hawai’i, to Garrett and Dori Gabriel.
His father, Garrett Gabriel, played quarterback for the University of Hawai’i from 1986 to 1990, accumulating 5,638 yards and 47 touchdowns during his collegiate career. Garrett famously led the Rainbow Warriors to back-to-back wins over BYU and Heisman winner Ty Detmer in 1989 and 1990 — a rivalry that shaped Dillon’s own fandom.
His mother, Dori Gabriel, graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in communication and media studies. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has held a senior district business manager role at Novo Nordisk since 2006.
Dillon has two brothers: Garrison and Roman. Dillon was named after former NFL running back Corey Dillon, while his brothers were named after ex-NFL stars Garrison Hearst and Roman Gabriel.
How Old Is Dillon Gabriel?
As of October 2025, Gabriel is 24 years old.
Is Dillon Gabriel Left-Handed?
Yes, Gabriel throws left-handed as a quarterback.
Gabriel’s journey from Hawaii to the Browns’ QB1 spot is just the beginning, and all eyes will be on him as Cleveland relies on him to stabilize its offense and bounce back from a 1-3 start in the AFC North.
