Dan Lanning is the proudest head coach of 2024! He is gaining recognition for his leadership qualities and game strategy. Guess what his team, the Oregon Ducks, registered their sixth straight victory over Ohio State. And this was his first win against a top-five opponent. Meanwhile, his quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, is making headlines with his impressive performance on Saturday.

Winning a national trophy is what every football team aims at. But the Heisman Trophy race is equally important as it is awarded to the top player of CFB, at the moment. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is in the top position, but after the Oregon Ducks’ recent game, it looks like his crown is in danger. Travis Hunter, Cam Ward, and Jalen Milroe were his competitions so far, but Lanning’s QB has entered the race. Joel Klatt, an American college football color commentator and analyst for Fox Sports, has backed Gabriel. He believes the quarterback just launched himself a Heisman campaign right here in October.

In the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast, Klatt highlighted Gabriel’s growth and ability to excel under pressure. The matchup was significant because it featured two top-ranked teams.

“I’ve watched Dylan Gabriel for a long time. That was one of the better games that I’ve ever seen Dylan Gabriel play. He was sensational. He really was the downfield passing attack for Gabriel; the clutch runs late in the game, the touchdown run, making people miss in the secondary,” Klatt said.

Klatt further emphasizes his stats. “He was tremendous. 373 total yards, three total touchdowns in a huge win. And really it was the fact that he did it outside of what I think his strengths are. I’ve told you for a long time that this guy is a card dealer. He’s a point guard. That’s what this offense was going to be. And you saw a game plan from Ohio State that was designed to stop that.”

Gabriel’s ability to throw the ball effectively downfield really impressed the analysts; speaking on the same, he added, “And I’ll get into the X’s and O’s a little bit more as we go along, but first and foremost, to see him throw the ball down the field like he did, that was incredible. So kudos to Dylan Gabriel, and for me, he just launched himself a Heisman campaign right here in October. And that’s what you need. You need stages to launch a Heisman campaign. And that’s exactly what Dylan Gabriel did on Saturday night; he was tremendous. Not many mistakes from Gabriel, the entire night.”

Let’s take a closer look at Lanning’s rising talent’s performance.

Dillon Gabriel overtakes Jeanty, Cam Ward and Hunter in the Heisman Race

It looks like Dillon Gabriel is not Joel Klatt’s favorite, but his performance throughout the season has impressed everyone. CFB is halfway through its regular season, and Gabriel is very close to running back Ashton Jeanty.

He has not only surpassed Jeanty, but he also overtook quarterback Cam Ward and Deion Sanders’ two-way star Travis Hunter. He has been displaying phenomenal gameplay on both sides. Unfortunately, his injury in the last game can be the reason for him not winning the trophy despite strong stats. On the other hand, Gabriel played his best game of the season. He added 341 passing yards and two important touchdowns to his stats, along with 32 rushing yards and one touchdown. However, he is still not at the top, but his performance has definitely made him the talk of the town.

Ashton Jeanty is at the top for a reason. He delivered another impressive game for his team, Boise State, on Saturday. He rushed for 217 yards and scored a touchdown on 31 carries, which helped the Broncos register their fourth back-to-back victory. His performance against Hawaii was the third game this season where the RB rushed for 200 yards, which brought his total to 1248 rushing yards and a total of 17 touchdowns in six games.