Dillon Gabriel is projected to be taken in the NFL Draft in the next few days. Before that happens, the former standout Hawaii high school quarterback made sure to do some giving.
Gabriel was on hand at his alma mater Mililani High on Tuesday for a donation ceremony along with his family, school principal Fred Murphy and Trojans athletic director Joy Matsukawa.
The former state high school passing yardage record-holder partnered with a handful of sponsors to refurbish three rooms — two athletics recovery spaces and a weight training room. The last now bears the name “Gabriel Family Weight Room” on the wall in yellow paint.
Gabriel told the gathered Hawaii media that he wanted to maximize the resources available to the next generation of Mililani athletes.
Gabriel, who had one of the most statistically prolific careers in NCAA history, is among the first generation of college athletes to come out of school already compensated at comparable levels to a professional under Name, Image and Likeness rights. He had a valuation of $1.9 million with Oregon in 2024, according to On3.
Murphy told the student body that Mililani is still a relatively new community that hasn’t had many older alumni in position to give back to the school.
“What Dillon Gabriel has been doing for you guys and for our school, he’s been sparking that kind of give-back feeling in our community,” he said in a video courtesy of the Hawaii Department of Education.
“Yes, he’s been super generous, but he’s brought a wave of other people who are joining him,” Murphy continued. “People like Dillon care about you; they want to see you succeed. They want to see the programs here get better. It’s such a great thing to see these kind of things happen.”
The NFL Draft begins Thursday. Gabriel is projected as a Day 3 selection — between rounds 4 through 7.
At 5 feet 11 and 205 pounds, Gabriel doesn’t have the prototypical NFL quarterback dimensions, but he put up big numbers at three schools — UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. He tied Case Keenum’s FBS record of 155 career passing touchdowns, finished second in career passing yardage (18,722) and total yardage (19,931).
Gabriel was third in voting for the Heisman Trophy, won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and was named an Associated Press third-team All-American in his final college season. He completed 72.9% of his passes at Oregon.
The NFL’s prospect profile for the 5-foot-11, 210-pound Gabriel lists him as a 6.10 — “good backup with the potential to develop into starter.”
His total score at the 2025 NFL Combine was fifth among quarterbacks.
Gabriel’s father, Garrett, is a former University of Hawaii quarterback and is the Trojans boys' basketball coach. His younger brother Roman just completed his senior season on the basketball team.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
