Dillon Gabriel Spoke with Ohio State's Ryan Day About QB Job Before Oregon Transfer

Dillon Gabriel will lead Oregon against Ohio State on Oct. 12 in one of the most highly anticipated games of the 2024 college football season, but there was a time when he at least explored the option of being on the other sideline.

Gabriel confirmed Thursday that he had a "good" conversation with Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day about potentially transferring to Ohio State this past offseason before he ultimately settled on the Ducks, per Audrey Snyder of The Athletic.

The quarterback said he didn't want to drag out the transfer process while Day wanted to see how quarterback Devin Brown performed in Ohio State's Cotton Bowl matchup against Missouri.

As a result, Gabriel chose to transfer to Oregon well before the Buckeyes even took the field for that game. It is a decision that Day might regret given the benefit of hindsight, as Brown suffered an injury in the first half of that game and never really had the opportunity to prove himself.

Kyle McCord had already transferred to Syracuse, so the Scarlet and Gray had to dip well into the depth chart with Lincoln Kienholz and ended up losing the game.

"I don't even know," Gabriel said when asked if he would have chosen Ohio State if Day was willing to commit to him in December. "That's in the past. I'm focused on the now."

Gabriel started his collegiate career at Central Florida before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2022 campaign. He completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 373 yards and 12 scores on the ground in his final season with the Sooners.

Given the talent that will surround him in the Oregon offense, it wouldn't be a surprise if Gabriel is realistically contending for a Heisman Trophy this season.

Ohio State had something of a contingency plan, as it landed Kansas State transfer Will Howard and Alabama transfer Julian Sayin this offseason. Day has not revealed who will start at quarterback, but Howard is a veteran option who seemingly will be given every opportunity to win the job.

But Gabriel will surely be looking to make Buckeyes fans think about what could have been when they face each other on Oct. 12.