Dillon Gabriel is on his way to breaking Bo Nix’s record.
Nix became a Heisman finalist a season ago when he set the NCAA record for completion percentage. Nix passed 364 of 470 in 2023 as he completed 77.45% of his throws, breaking Mac Jones’ record of 77.36%.
After Nix left for the NFL, Gabriel transferred to Oregon for his final season of college football and somehow completed a higher percentage of passes than Nix. In the five games so far, Gabriel has completed 77.8% of his passes and has completed 130 of 167 for 1,449 yards.
Gabriel always seemed like a perfect fit for Oregon’s offensive scheme as soon as he announced his intention to transfer. He completed 69% of his passes a season ago and threw for a career-high 3,660 yards in 12 games for the Sooners. He even became the betting favorite for the Heisman over the summer.
However, Gabriel hasn’t proven himself as a Heisman favorite thus far. Players like Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter have starred in non-quarterback roles, Cam Ward has led Miami to an undefeated start after transferring from Washington State, and Jalen Milroe has continued his growth as a passer in his first season playing for Kalen DeBoer in Alabama. .
All four of these players are ahead of Gabriel (+1400) in BetMGM’s odds, although Gabriel has a great chance to top them all with a statement game on Saturday night.
The No. 3 Ducks host No. 2 Ohio State in the first top-three matchup of the season. The Buckeye defense comes into the game allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for only 130 yards per game, and only Marshall and Michigan State have thrown for TDs.
Gabriel is also coming off his worst game of the season. Gabriel threw two picks and completed just 63% of his throws in Oregon’s Friday night win over Michigan State in Week 6, after completing more than 80% of his throws in each of the Ducks’ first three games of the season.
If Gabriel can approach or exceed that 80% against Ohio State, it’s hard to imagine how Oregon will lose on Saturday night, or how Gabriel won’t be the frontrunner for the Heisman at midseason.
Here are four other players we’re keeping an eye on heading into Week 7.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty: We are already running out of superlatives for Jeanty’s performance this season. He is the deserved Heisman favorite ahead of Boise State’s game at Hawaii, as he is averaging nearly 11 yards per carry and is the only running back to surpass the 1,000-yard mark so far this season. Just look at what he did on his first try against Utah State.
If you want some perspective on how much better Jeanty has been than his peers, he is 260 yards ahead of Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, the No. 2 rushing leader. Johnson and North Carolina’s Omari Hampton are the only two other running backs to rush for more than 700 yards and only 13 players have run for more than 600 yards this season. Marshall’s AJ Turner is the only other running back averaging more than 10 yards per carry, but he has rushed 42 times so far this season. Jeanty has 95 carries and may not play the entire game against Hawaii on Saturday night if the Broncos take a big lead early.
Colorado DB/WR Travis Hunter: How sustainable is Hunter’s production level on both sides of the ball? We’re about to find out when Colorado starts its schedule. The Buffaloes host No. 18 Kansas State late Saturday night for a trip to Arizona in Week 8. Hunter is the team’s leading receiver with 46 catches for 561 yards – no other Colorado player has more than 23 catches – and is tied for first with the team leader having two interceptions.
Penn State QB Drew Allar: The junior has shown real growth in his first season under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Allar completes nearly 71% of his passes and averages 10.7 yards per throw. He completed fewer than 60% of his passes a season ago and averaged just 6.8 yards per attempt. Penn State’s offense hasn’t relied on him throwing the ball much thus far; the 24 passes he threw in Week 6 against UCLA were the most he has attempted all season. But if he remains efficient and Penn State keeps winning, look for Allar to get some Heisman votes like Michigan QB JJ McCarthy did a season ago. The Nittany Lions play at USC on Saturday.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier: The first-year starter has a great chance to thrust himself into the thick of the Heisman discussion with a big performance against Ole Miss on Saturday night. Nussmeier isn’t the dual-threat that Heisman winner Jayden Daniels was a season ago, but he has been a fantastic high-volume passer so far this season. Nussmeier has attempted 198 passes through five games, completing nearly 70% of them for 1,652 yards and 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
