From Mililani to Heisman Hopeful: Dillon Gabriel’s Journey
From Mililani to the Heisman: Dillon Gabriel’s Journey to College Football’s Biggest Stage
Honolulu, HI – The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony is just hours away, and Mililani graduate Dillon Gabriel is poised to make history. For some, his meteoric rise to college football stardom comes as no surprise.
Coach Rod York, who has helmed the Mililani Trojans since 2010, saw Gabriel’s potential from the start. “We knew he’d do good,” York told Hawaii News Now,”but man,we didn’t know he was going to be that big. A lot of that is definitely his parents, Dori and Garrett, and the upbringing, his brothers, his family.It’s a testament to his hard work, his competitiveness, and just being around good people and being in good situations.”
York has built a program known for consistency, with quarterbacks like McKenzie Milton lighting up the scoreboard in the Brown and Gold. Gabriel’s opportunity came suddenly in 2015 when Milton suffered a shoulder injury.
Enter the left-handed freshman, sporting an unconventional jersey number for a quarterback: 96.
“The truth about it is we had other numbers,” York explained, ”but I wanted to make sure he was humble, that he was brought up that way. I wanted to make sure that he didn’t care about the number and let’s just say he passed the test.”
Gabriel’s willingness to wear 96 proved his focus was on leading the Trojans, not on flashy appearances. He threw seven touchdowns in four games as a freshman, solidifying his place as the future of the program.Gabriel left Central Oahu in 2019 with the state’s best passing yards, followed by triumphant stints at UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon.
“It’s just been wonderful to watch and just wonderful watching him blossom,” York said, “but we certainly know his ultimate goal. We certainly know they still got the playoffs coming up.”
Gabriel is the fourth Hawaii-born Heisman finalist since 2012, but those who witnessed his journey from the beginning believe this is just the beginning.
“His ultimate goal is to be in the league and to be a successful quarterback,not just a quarterback in the NFL,but,” York emphasized,”you know,this is all part of it. This is more like a reward, you know, it’s an honor to be in that room.”
The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony airs December 12th at 3:00 p.m. Hawaii time on ESPN.
From Mililani to the Heisman: Dillon Gabriel’s Journey to Collage Football’s Biggest Stage
Honolulu, HI – The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony is just hours away, and Mililani graduate dillon Gabriel is poised to make history. For some, his meteoric rise to college football stardom comes as no surprise.
Coach Rod York, who has helmed the Mililani trojans since 2010, saw Gabriel’s potential from the start. “We knew he’d do good,” York told Hawaii News Now, “but man, we didn’t know he was going to be that big. A lot of that is definately his parents, Dori and garrett, and the upbringing, his brothers, his family. It’s a testament to his hard work, his competitiveness, and just being around good people and being in good situations.”
York has built a program known for consistency, with quarterbacks like McKenzie Milton lighting up the scoreboard in the Brown and Gold.Gabriel’s opportunity came suddenly in 2015 when Milton suffered a shoulder injury.
Enter the left-handed freshman, sporting an unconventional jersey number for a quarterback: 96.
“The truth about it is we had other numbers,” York explained, “but I wanted to make sure he was humble, that he was brought up that way.I wanted to make sure that he didn’t care about the number and let’s just say he passed the test.”
Gabriel’s willingness to wear 96 proved his focus was on leading the Trojans, not on flashy appearances. He threw seven touchdowns in four games as a freshman, solidifying his place as the future of the program. Gabriel left Central Oahu in 2019 with the state’s best passing yards, followed by triumphant stints at UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon.
“It’s just been wonderful to watch and just wonderful watching him blossom,” York said, “but we certainly know his ultimate goal. We certainly know they still got the playoffs coming up.”
Gabriel is the fourth hawaii-born Heisman finalist since 2012, but those who witnessed his journey from the beginning believe this is just the beginning.
“His ultimate goal is to be in the league and to be a prosperous quarterback, not just a quarterback in the NFL, but,” york emphasized, “you know, this is all part of it.This is more like a reward,you know,it’s an honor to be in that room.”
The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony airs December 12th at 3:00 p.m. Hawaii time on ESPN.