This fall, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel will be playing for his third FBS team in six seasons. So far, he’s played in 50 games (UCF 26, Oklahoma 24) and thrown for 14,865 yards and 125 TDs. He currently ranks 8th in both FBS career passing yards and passing touchdowns, 4,352 yards and 30 TDs behind the all-time leader in both categories, Houston’s Case Keenum, who threw for 19,217 yards and 155 TDs (in 57 games over five seasons). Last year, Bo Nix threw for 4,508 yards and 45 TDs in 14 games for Oregon. With the weapons Gabriel has at his disposal and high expectations that Oregon will make the CFP, matching or exceeding Nix’s 2023 stats and surpassing Keenum’s records is not unreasonable.
Keenum set his records over five seasons in six years—he redshirted as a freshman and played in only three games as a senior due to a season-ending injury; up to that point, he’d only played three full seasons, which is why he was granted a sixth season of eligibility. That’s an exception that any player in Keenum’s situation could apply for.
In fact, Gabriel did. Unlike Keenum, he was not redshirted as a freshman, but like Keenum, he was also hurt three games into a season and missed the rest of the year. Both players played four full seasons plus three games of a fifth injury-ended season but that’s where the road ended for Keenum; thanks to the COVID rule, which only players who were on rosters in 2020 are eligible for, Gabriel now has a shot at a fifth full season. Without that unprecedented, one-time exception, Gabriel’s college career would be over.
For the sake of argument, let’s say Gabriel plays a full season and breaks Keenum’s career passing yards and TD records—should his records (or those of any other player in his situation—I’m not trying to pick on Gabriel; because of his visibility, he’s merely the lowest hanging fruit for this discussion) have an *asterisk due to them being set thanks to the COVID rule, which is a blanket exception that’s unique to only players who were on rosters in 2020 and, barring another pandemic or similar circumstance, will never be repeated, which could make those records unbreakable?
