Quarterback Dillon Gabriel — having put himself in Heisman contention and climbing the college football record books — serves as the example of calm, collected focus at the center of the Ducks’ locker room. With pressure mounting and narratives swirling, he sits at the press conference podium as if lounging with his feet up on the shores of Oahu.

A former three-star out of Mililani, Hawaii, Gabriel got his start at UCF in 2019. After three seasons with the Knights, Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma as a junior. He went on to pass for 6,828 yards in two seasons as a Sooner, the sixth-best mark in program history.