Gabriel grew up playing multiple sports, primarily baseball and football. Although he enjoyed baseball, he found the game slowing down as he got older and gravitated toward football for its faster pace and the rush and excitement it offered. Early in his youth, Gabriel played several positions including safety, running back, and wide receiver, only fully transitioning to the quarterback role between the ages of 10 and 12. His decision to focus on playing quarterback was partly inspired by his father, but emphasizes that pressure was never put on him.[5]
Gabriel began his collegiate football career with the UCF Knights in 2019 as a true freshman. During preseason camp, he competed for the starting quarterback position against Notre Dame redshirt senior transfer Brandon Wimbush and UCF redshirt freshman Quadry Jones. The competition was held to find a replacement for McKenzie Milton, who was sidelined by a severe leg injury sustained late in the 2018 season. Milton's previous backup, Darriel Mack Jr., was also unavailable due to a broken ankle suffered before the start of the season. Although the competition was close, Wimbush earned the starting role, while Gabriel served as the backup quarterback initially.[19][20][21]
Gabriel made his collegiate debut on August 29, 2019, in UCF's season opener against Florida A&M. He entered the game late in the first quarter as a substitute for starting quarterback Wimbush, completing 9 of 13 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns, helping UCF secure a 62–0 victory. Following this performance, Gabriel was named the starting quarterback and started the remaining 12 games of the season.[22] He made his first career start on September 7 against Florida Atlantic, completing 7 of 19 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in a 48–14 victory.[23] The season concluded with a 48–25 victory over Marshall in the 2019 Gasparilla Bowl, where Gabriel was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) after completing 14 of 24 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns.[24] Throughout the season, Gabriel led UCF to a 10–3 overall record. He finished the season having completed 236 of 398 passes for 3,653 yards, setting a school record for passing yards in a season by a freshman, with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.[25]
During his sophomore season, Gabriel led UCF to a 6–4 record. He concluded the season by playing in the 2020 Boca Raton Bowl, where he completed 21 of 45 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns in a 49–23 loss to BYU.[26]
During his junior season, Gabriel led UCF to a 2–0 record before sustaining an injury in the third game of the regular season against Louisville on September 17, 2021. With five seconds remaining in the final play and UCF trailing 42–35, the team attempted a multi-lateral touchdown but was penalized for an illegal forward pass, securing the victory for Louisville. Gabriel was injured on the play after landing on his left shoulder, his throwing arm, and was carried off the field. He was later seen with his left arm in a sling, and X-rays revealed a broken left clavicle. Although the injury did not require surgery, it ended his season prematurely.[27][28] Later that season, Gabriel announced on social media that he would be transferring from UCF and entered the NCAA transfer portal on November 27, 2021.[29]
Oklahoma
Gabriel initially announced he would transfer to UCLA on December 16, 2021.[30] However, less than three weeks later, on January 3, 2022, he announced he would instead transfer to Oklahoma.[31]
After two seasons with Oklahoma, Gabriel announced that he would be transferring and entered the NCAA transfer portal on December 4, 2023.[32]
Gabriel committed to transfer to Oregon on December 9, 2023, five days after entering the NCAA transfer portal, for his final year of collegiate eligibility, his sixth overall.[33][34] This extra year resulted from the NCAA's decision to grant college football players an additional season of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gabriel also used a redshirt season after sustaining a broken left clavicle that sidelined him for the 2021 season.[35]
Gabriel made his debut for Oregon in the season opener against Idaho on August 31, 2024. Oregon won the game 24–14, with Gabriel throwing for 380 yards and two touchdowns. With this performance, he became the eighth quarterback in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history to surpass 15,000 career passing yards.[36] Gabriel threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns in Oregon's 38–9 victory over Illinois on October 26. With this performance, he surpassed Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang to move into second place on the FBS career passing yards list and also passed Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore to claim second place on the FBS career passing touchdowns list.[37][38] Gabriel played his final college football game in the 2025 Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff (CFP) quarterfinal, on January 1, 2025. Despite entering the playoffs with Oregon holding an undefeated 13–0 record and finishing first in the Big Ten Conference, the team ended its season with a 41–21 loss to Ohio State. Gabriel threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns in the game, tying Houston quarterback Case Keenum for the FBS career passing touchdowns record, with both quarterbacks now sharing the record at 155.[39]
Gabriel was selected 94th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft.[43] The Browns acquired this pick through a trade that involved sending wide receiverAmari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick, originally belonging to the Detroit Lions, to the Buffalo Bills. In return, the Browns received a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick.[44]
On August 26, 2025, the Browns announced that Gabriel would serve as the backup quarterback to Joe Flacco.[45] Gabriel made his National Football League (NFL) debut on September 14, during Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens. He entered the game late in the fourth quarter, replacing Flacco while the Browns were trailing 41–10. Gabriel completed all three of his pass attempts for a total of 19 yards. He recorded his first career touchdown on an eight-yard pass to Dylan Sampson with 1:50 remaining in the game. The Browns ultimately lost the game 41–17 to the Ravens.[46]
On October 1, 2025, Gabriel was announced as the starting quarterback for the Browns ahead of Week 5, replacing Joe Flacco.[47] He made his first career start on October 5, in a game against the Minnesota Vikings held in London. This made him the first quarterback to have his initial NFL start outside the United States.[48] The Browns lost the game 21–17. Gabriel completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked twice for a loss of eight yards and did not throw any interceptions. His performance earned him a nomination for NFL Rookie of the Week honors for Week 5.[49]
On November 16, 2025, Gabriel sustained a concussion during the Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens. He experienced concussion symptoms during halftime and sought evaluation from the trainers. In accordance with the NFL concussion protocol, Gabriel was assessed and ruled out for the remainder of the game. This allowed backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders to make his regular season debut in the second half.[50] In the first half, Gabriel completed 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards, with no touchdowns, and was sacked once for a loss of seven yards.[51] Despite leading 16–10 at halftime, the Browns ultimately lost the game 23–16 to the Ravens.[50]
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