Dillon Gabriel leads No. 1 Ducks into Rose Bowl, but never forgot his Hawaiʻi roots

EUGENE, Ore. — The accolades have arrived in bunches for Dillon Gabriel in his final season of college football for the No. 1-ranked University of Oregon — Heisman Trophy finalist, AP Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, consensus all-America honors from all five outlets that select the teams — but as the journey has unfolded, Gabriel remained grounded in his 50th state roots.

The Ducks (13-0) will play Ohio State (11-2) in the Rose Bowl at noon HST on Wednesday — Gabriel has arrived at the home stretch of his storied college career that has also included stints at Central Florida (2019-21) and Oklahoma (2022-23).

Gabriel, a Mililani High School graduate, wears No. 8 like his boyhood hero Marcus Mariota did for the Ducks when Mariota won the Heisman Trophy for Oregon in 2014 and the Ducks won the 2015 Rose Bowl. Gabriel asked Mariota to wear No. 8 for the Ducks and was granted permission by the current backup QB for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

Gabriel is the latest in an impressive line of quarterbacks from the 50th state, a list that includes his father Garrett Gabriel who starred at Hawai’i in the mid-1990s.

“I know that I represent a lot more than just myself and my family, I represent this university, but also the state of Hawai’i,” Dillon Gabriel said in a telephone interview in November. “I have a responsibility to do it the right way. That’s because I’ve been raised that way. I’ve always been appreciative and grateful for my opportunities, but I want to be able to shed light on Hawai’i football players as well.

“To know that I have that responsibility, to me, it just makes it that much sweeter and me more appreciative of my opportunity.” 

On the day he broke the all-time NCAA record for touchdowns responsible for in a 39-18 win over Maryland on Nov. 9, Gabriel thought back to his youth watching Mariota star for the Ducks.

“It’s amazing, I always talk about the type of role model he is, it was just amazing as a kid growing up — I don’t even think I can name a better role model than a guy like Marcus and what he’s done,” Gabriel said. “Now, being able to do it where he did and wear the No. 8, it’s something that I invited upon myself and asked him for, but I knew that it was with great respect. I think that’s what makes it that much more exciting and fun. Having a guy like him to look up to, that just makes me be even more thoughtful about what I do for that young kid who might want to do the same in Hawai’i.”

Gabriel enters the Rose Bowl with 18,423 passing yards, second all-time and 794 yards behind Case Keenum’s NCAA record set when he played at Houston from 2007-11. Gabriel now has 187 touchdowns in his college career — 153 passing, 33 rushing and one receiving — nine more than Keenum.

“I think as a kid you love playing the game,” Gabriel said. “I’ve been a guy who has tried to play the game as long as I can, maximize every moment. That’s from youth football league to middle school football, intermediate football, high school, college and so on.” 

His record 179th touchdown, a pass to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson, came in the game against Maryland. In the post-game news conference, Gabriel did not want to talk about himself nor the record, but rather the rare opportunity for Wilson to score. 

Oregon coach Dan Lanning mentioned Gabriel and the TD record in his opening statement following the win over Maryland.

“You can’t go through that game without recognizing having the all-time touchdown leader in the NCAA with Dillon Gabriel and what he was able to accomplish there,” Lanning said. “He’ll be the first one to tell you he doesn’t care, but he should because that’s a really special moment for him. So I’m glad that we got to celebrate that tonight with him.”

Still, Gabriel would rather talk about the Hawai’i players that he mentors after getting the same type of help from Mariota and McKenzie Milton, who was at Mililani High School and UCF immediately prior to Gabriel in each case. Gabriel has helped guide fellow Hawai’i quarterbacks who played in college, including Jayden de Laura (Washington State, Arizona), Chevan Cordeiro (Hawai’i, San Jose State) and Lahaina native AJ Bianco (Nevada).

“Those guys who have played quarterback at the college level, those are guys you root for, you play against and just watch from afar,” Gabriel said. 

The Ducks are three wins from the school’s first national title — a win in the Rose Bowl would send them to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 in Dallas and a victory there would put them in the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. Oregon played for the national title following the 2010 and 2014 seasons, but came up short both times.

Gabriel has a message for Maui youths hoping to follow in his footsteps.

“I would just tell them ‘dream big, believe, your biggest believer is yourself — if you don’t believe in yourself that’s where your dream stops,’ ” Gabriel said. “But also you have the ability to be right where your dream starts. I’ve always been a proactive thinker and I think we in Hawai’i, we’re extremely humble and grateful for opportunity, but don’t let that be our limitation. That’s also something that I have continued to realize as I’ve gotten older, to not be afraid to put yourself out there and compete on the highest level.