ORLANDO, Fla. _ Coach Josh Heupel spent the past year as the only left-handed quarterback in the meeting room at UCF.
Heupel's record-setting playing days are behind him, but he still has a soft spot for lefties.
He'll get a chance to coach a fellow left-hander when Dillon Gabriel arrives on campus in January. Gabriel is a three-star quarterback who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Hawaii and a cornerstone of UCF's 2019 recruiting class. Gabriel attended the same high school as Knights star McKenzie Milton.
"Through the years, I've coached almost exclusively righties, so it will be fun to have a lefty back in the meeting room," Heupel quipped.
Gabriel spurned offers from USC and Georgia to continue his playing career here at UCF.
"They're all great schools, but when it came down to it, it's where I was comfortable with, where I gave me my best option. When it came down to it, UCF checked all of the boxes for me," Gabriel told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser following his college announcement Wednesday.
"Obviously a great player on tape," Heupel said when asked to analyze Gabriel. "He's accurate with the football, strong arm, great mobility but as much as anything, it's the off-the-field things that make you fall in love with him. He's highly competitive and really smart.
"When he came on his official visit, absolutely everybody he came into contact with just loved the kid. I think at that position, that competitiveness, that spirit can transcend throughout your football team. I'm really excited about getting him."
Obviously, Gabriel isn't the first quarterback from the Aloha State to don the familiar black and gold of UCF.
Gabriel and Milton both played at Mililani High on the island of Oahu.
The familiarity paid off for Heupel and his staff.
"McKenzie pointed him out early in the process and we kept an eye on him throughout the beginning of his senior year," Heupel said.
Gabriel told reporters the connection to Milton, who joined the signing ceremony via FaceTime, was important.
"Me and McKenzie talk every day. Him being there is a big plus," Gabriel said.
Does this mean the Knights are working to develop a recruiting pipeline to Hawaii?
"Hawaii quarterbacks right now," Heupel said with a smile when asked.
"There are a few other players over there that we need to get to. In my experience, people over there are highly competitive, excited about coming over to the mainland and playing with a chip on their shoulders that they can play over here."
Hawaii has produced talented quarterbacks, including former Oregon standout Marcus Mariota, Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, Ole Miss' Jordan Ta'amu and Milton.
