All the talk so far this December has been centered around which high-profile quarterback Lincoln Riley was going to bring with him to USC.

On Thursday, it was UCLA coach Chip Kelly making headlines for his own quarterback coup. Dillon Gabriel, the former UCF Knights’ gunslinger, is heading to Westwood.

Gabriel was a 3-year starter at UCF, but a broken clavicle forced him to miss most of his junior season. In the 3 games he played during the 2021 season, he threw for 814 yards and 9 touchdowns against just 3 picks.

In his first 2 years as the starter, Gabriel was one of the nation’s best passers. From 2019-20, he threw for a combined 7,200 yards and 61 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions. In 2020, Gabriel threw for 3,570 yards (5th most among FBS quarterbacks) in just 10 games, adding 32 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions. Over his career, the Hawaii native has 70 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions.

Given that he made just 3 appearances in 2021 and can classify the year as a redshirt season, Gabriel could play as many as 3 seasons for the Bruins. With 2 quarterbacks having already gone into the transfer portal in recent weeks and Dorian Thompson-Robinson still undecided on his future, Gabriel should provide some stability to the room going forward.

UCLA recruited him hard once he went into the portal.

And the Bruins got their guy.