$1.2M NIL-valued Dillon Gabriel links up Oregon team with diamond studded jewelry
Dillon Gabriel is one of the hottest transfers for the upcoming season of college football. The former Oklahoma Sooner is now in Eugene, Oregon, hoping to get Dan Lanning's Ducks their first-ever national title.
The hype for what he might potentially do with the Ducks is real, after a first-team All-Big 12 season with the Sooners in 2023. He's among the favorites to win the coveted Heisman Trophy in 2025.
That hype has very much translated into profits off the field for the signal-caller with an On3 NIL valuation of $1.2 million. That makes Dillon Gabriel the ninth football player with the highest NIL valuation and the 13th overall student-athlete.
As part of his latest NIL deal with The GLD Shop, the quarterback and his teammates wore GLD jewelry during a practice session, which was recorded and posted to X.
The jewelry was Oregon-inspired, featuring the O logo, the Ducks mascot and a Nike swoosh. Gabriel opened up about the collaboration and said he and the boys were about to get "iced out." Wide receivers Tez Johnson and Brady Bidwell, and running back Brison Cobbins can also be seen on the video.
Dillon Gabriel becomes the favorite to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy
According to the oddsmakers, the Oregon quarterback is now the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy with odds of +750. He surpassed previous favorites Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Carson Beck (Georgia). They both had been the favorites since February and now hold odds of +800 and +900, respectively.
Chase Michaelson, an oddsmaker for SuperBook, gave ESPN the following industry reasoning behind the recent shift:
"I think there were some maybe influential people that hopped on it and said they liked it on some public spaces, it's people we respect that like Gabriel, and I think there are lots of reasons to like him."
Dillon Gabriel can count on the fact that he's stepping into an offensively-minded program under Dan Lanning, which was led by Bo Nix last season and was considered one of the top offensive units in the nation. Gabriel himself can boast of having had 3660 passing yards in the 2023 season, along with 30 touchdown passes and a respectable 12 rushing touchdowns.