Canzano: Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks wade into Big Ten waters

"There’s some fast dudes on the field."

Dillon Gabriel talks at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS — Every Wednesday the University of Oregon football team carves out time for personal-growth subject matter. Sometimes, it turns into a book club. Dillon Gabriel told me that one week the team read and held a discussion about a book written by Chinese military general Sun Tzu.

“The Art of War” has sold more than 40 million copies in more than 20 languages. It’s regarded as a masterpiece of philosophy and strategy. It’s frequently cited and often referenced, but I was surprised the book came up in my conversation with Gabriel at Big Ten Football Media Days on Thursday.

The UO quarterback told me the book gave players a chance to ask each other questions, listen, and “get deep.”

I sat with the transfer quarterback on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for 20 minutes. And why not? Oregon is on the cusp of a breakthrough in its new conference and Gabriel is the guy at the center of it.

We talked about his TV-viewing habits (he binge-watches a show called “Blue Mountain State”), his dog (a Miniature Schnauzer named “Winston”), and Gabriel, who grew up in Hawaii, told me he doesn’t surf because “I know there are sharks out there.”

Gabriel wore a crisp, creme-colored suit to media day, a white button-up dress shirt, and a green necktie. He had a pair of sneakers on. Before the quarterback slid into the chair beside me he’d been peppered with questions in a large media setting, conducted a dozen radio and television interviews, and been asked the same tired questions for a couple of hours.

I asked: “What’s the question you’re sick of?”

He grinned and shot back: “Are you excited about the season?”

What’s he supposed to say?

“Maybe I’m reeeeeaaaally excited,” he joked.

No stale questions, I vowed. Gabriel told me he welcome that. And so we started down a line of questioning that had very little to do with football — and everything to do with the quarterback who will try to lead the most significant season in school history.

Gabriel on how he’s matured as a person:

“I’ve been more comfortable about not failing, but just evolving. With evolving and growth there’s failure. That’s life.”

Gabriel on tourists visiting Hawaii:

“As long as you’re graceful and appreciative of being able to enjoy the beauty and respectful of the culture (you’re good). I think that’s probably the biggest part.”

Gabriel on a dream business he’d want to run:

“I would do something with youth sports. Teach them the right way, life, and learning. When you get to this level, there’s so much you’ve learned. Imagine if you had it when you were younger.”

Guy Haberman, a play-by-play broadcaster for the Big Ten Network, saw me talking with Gabriel for an extended period. After our interview was done Haberman wandered over and asked how it went. I told him I wasn’t sure. Gabriel was engaged in our conversation. He was thoughtful, contemplative, and serious. But I wondered if I’d wasted time talking about everything but the coming football season and whether I’d drilled down far enough to get a sense of who he is.

I sent Haberman the audio of the interview for an evaluation. He texted me later: “People are going to think you two became boys after this… it was a borderline excellent interview.”

I talked with a garlic farmer once who told me that he liked to get into the fields early in the morning and see his crop up close. He gets down on a knee, pulls up a bulb, and examines it. But if he wants to determine what kind of harvest he’ll reap, he has to take a wider view. He has to step back and look at more than just one plant.

Some of that myopic thinking may have been in play with my initial evaluation of my interview with Gabriel. Let’s face it — I had sky-high expectations for the conversation, particularly because one year ago I was having a similar talk with Bo Nix. As much as I loved watching Nix play and chatting with him, he was meticulously polished in every interview.

He straightened up and measured his words carefully. I wondered, at times, how much authenticity we got. Did we get to know Nix? Or did we just get to know what Nix wanted us to know about him? I was determined to avoid doing that all over again with Gabriel.

I listened to the interview a second, third, and fourth time later in the day. Haberman was right. It was a valuable glimpse into Gabriel’s psyche. The non-sports questions disarmed him and humanized him, and by the time we started talking about Oregon football, Dillon Gabriel was in rhythm.

I’d been at media day for 72 hours by the time Gabriel sat down. I’d mistaken his tranquil demeanor for a lack of enthusiasm. That wasn’t at all it. Gabriel was all in. He’s just the kind of a guy who prefers to sit back on the beach, chill, and talk philosophically about marine life vs. making a wild dash toward the waves. Particularly if it means he’s potentially jumping into shark-infested waters. In that, he’s much more like Justin Herbert and/or Marcus Mariota than Bo Nix, isn’t he?

Dillon Gabriel at the Oregon spring game. (Photos: Serena Morones)

We’re only five weeks away from the season opener. I asked Gabriel how he was doing with absorbing Offensive Coordinator Will Stein’s playbook. In the spring game, the QB looked promising, but not perfect.

Gabriel diverted that question into a discussion about the knowledge base he’s built. He said it helps make learning something new a little easier. He pointed out that football “is a production-based sport. A lot of people see the production, and yet, we’re all intrigued by the process. And the process isn’t always pretty.”

How does starting 49 games in college help?

Gabriel: “I’m able to conceptualize things a lot easier because I’m more experienced or older.”

Me: “Does that slow the game down?”

Gabriel: “I don’t think the game necessarily slows down because there’s some fast dudes on the field. I just think you’re a lot more confident in your decisionmaking which allows you to be maybe a step ahead. As I’ve gotten more confident this May, June, and July, it’s the difference between knowing English vs. learning Japanese 5 and being in that AP course.”

Me: “Do you know Japanese?”

Gabriel: “I don’t. But if you can only imagine. You’ve got to live it and speak the language consistently and study it and dive into it.”

Earlier on Thursday, I spoke with Oregon coach Dan Lanning about Gabriel and the pressure of replacing Nix’s production and leadership. Nix set the NCAA record for starts by a QB in his career — 61?!?. It’s mind-bending. I reminded Lanning that I wrote a column at the end of last season declaring we’d never see anything like that again.

Lanning joked: “Baaaaaaaaaaaad take.”

Because here comes Gabriel in 2024, who will smash Nix’s record if he stays healthy, plays well, and starts all the Ducks games.

“Dillon has done an unbelievable job of being authentic, being himself, getting immersed in the team really quickly, and taking on some of those leadership traits,” Lanning said.

Some of that authenticity and leadership, Gabriel told me, came from being a little kid in Hawaii. He grew up, after all, watching Marcus Mariota win the Heisman Trophy and get picked in the first round of the NFL Draft.

“It’s powerful,” Gabriel said. “Marcus was our vision of a quarterback being able to play at that level. It gives vision and belief. I’m that. I’m a product of seeing it and believing it. It gave us hope.”

We stood and shook hands after the interview. Gabriel had a final round of radio interviews scheduled after me. Then, he’d join the Big Ten Network set for a panel discussion alongside two teammates. But first, he needed to make a quick phone call to his girlfriend, Zoe.

“Hi,” he said, pressing the phone against his ear.

At that moment, Dillon Gabriel looked and sounded just like any other college kid on the phone. He walked off.

Oregon has a new conference and a new quarterback this season. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

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