More than six months before his next scheduled game, former Mililani High quarterback Dillon Gabriel has nevertheless stirred quite a frenzy around University of Central Florida even without a football in hand.

By changing a photo on his social media platforms from UCF to a Mililani uniform with a Hawaii state flag and local teammates Lokahi Pauole and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, as the Knights were preparing to name a new head coach on Monday, Gabriel set off a whirlwind of speculation about whether he was considering transferring.

So much so that the school paper, KnightNews.com, reported, “While some fans thought it could mean the sophomore quarterback was transferring, others took to social media to question the potential coaching hire and Gabriel’s reaction.”

UCF declined to make Gabriel available on Monday.

At UCF, it should be understood, the record-setting Gabriel is regarded as the franchise and the future. He led the nation in passing yards per game (357) this past season, was second in total offense (373.9) and top five in several categories.

In two seasons Gabriel passed for 7,223 yards and 61 touchdowns and, thanks to an NCAA restoration of eligibility for the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, he could still have three more years to play.

But in the last two months the Knights’ foundation has been shaken. Gabriel’s mentor and predecessor at Mililani and UCF, McKenzie Milton, has transferred to Florida State and the athletic director, Danny White, departed for Tennessee, taking the head coach who recruited Gabriel, Josh Heupel, and three key offensive assistant coaches with him.

On his Instagram account, Gabriel wrote and subsequently deleted, “Lol…No goodbye? Not even a phone call? Crazyyyy.”

Then, more than 25 players past and present backed Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, Gabriel’s former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at UCF, for the job with a #WeWantLebby campaign before Gus Malzahn was offered the job.

The string of events in an era when players, quarterbacks especially, enter the transfer portal at the drop of a hat, and Gabriel’s changes on social media made the situation ripe for speculation.

Which was part of why, you suspect, during Malzahn’s first day on campus the new coach was quick to say, “I’m big time impressed (with Gabriel). I’m looking forward to working with him and looking forward to developing that relationship.”

And why Malzahn made a point at Monday’s press conference of touting the passing statistics of some of the quarterbacks he has coached over the years.

Malzahn, a potential jackpot hire for UCF, was 68-35 in eight seasons at Auburn before being let go in December. He has run a fast-paced offense learned under Todd Graham at Tulsa and made sure to note that as a quarterbacks coach some of his players have passed for 5,065 and 4,019-yards in the past.

With that in mind, maybe when Gabriel sits down with his new coach he can propose a non-conference meeting that matches UCF and Hawaii. A game that would, on one hand, be a rematch of a 2017 Hawaii High School Athletic Association semifinal between he and Chevan Cordeiro, won by Saint Louis, 47-23, that produced 780 passing yards and eight aerial touchdowns. And, on the other, pit Malzahn against Graham.

Now, that would be something to talk about.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.