‘It’s a testament to his hard work’: Dillon Gabriel’s coach reflects on quarterback’s journey
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony is less than 24 hours away, where Mililani grad Dillon Gabriel hopes to make history.
However, for some, this historic moment was no surprise.
Coach Rod York saw Gabriel’s talent on the Mililani campus, and knew that someday it would take him far.
“We knew he’d do good, but man, we didn’t know he was going to be that big, and a lot of that is definitely his parents, Dori and Garrett, and the upbringing and his brothers and his family,” York told Hawaii News Now. “It’s a testament to his hard work, his competitiveness and just being around good people and being in good situations.”
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York has been the Trojans head coach since 2010, and has built a program that’s become the pillar of consistency with the likes of quarterback McKenzie Milton lighting it up for the Brown and Gold.
Gabriel’s roll as the Trojans starting signal caller came suddenly in 2015 when Milton went down with a shoulder injury.
In comes the left-handed freshman who sported an unconventional jersey number at quarterback.
“The truth about it is we had other numbers, but I wanted to make sure he was humble, that he was brought up that way,” York said. “I wanted to make sure that he didn’t care about the number and let’s just say he passed the test.”
Gabriel wore number 96 when he was brought up from the JV squad, proving to Coach York that he wasn’t worried about the flashy varsity jersey.
He wanted a chance to lead one of the top teams in the state. He threw seven touchdowns in four games as a freshman, proving that he was ready to lead the Trojans into the future.
Gabriel ended his time in Central Oahu in 2019 with a state’s best in passing yards, then came successful stints at UCF, Oklahoma and now Oregon.
“It’s just been wonderful to watch and just wonderful watching him blossom, but we know his ultimate goal,” York said. “We know that they still got the playoffs coming up.”
Gabriel is the fourth Hawaii-born Heisman finalist since 2012, but those who’ve seen his journey from the beginning say this is just the start.
“His ultimate goal is to be in the league and to be a successful quarterback, not just a quarterback in the NFL,” York said. “This is all part of it. This is more like a reward. It’s an honor to be in that room.”
The winner of the 2024 Heisman Trophy will be announced Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Jazz Lincoln Center.
The ceremony will be televised at 3 p.m. HST on ESPN.
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