Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1338415
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2021 49 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY PATRICK ENGEL Asked for an unofficial count of his recent trips to South Bend, Gabe Ru- bio chuckled and paused for a min- ute. As of a mid-January 2021 visit, the number is too big to count on his fingers. "I'd probably say at least 10 or 11," said Rubio, a four-star defensive tackle from St. Louis. All since June 15, 2019, the day the Lutheran St. Charles High School star committed to Notre Dame. Add in his unofficial visits that came be- fore his commitment, and the count approaches 15. He has his favorite local restaurants, pizza joints Rocco's and Barnaby's. He has been all over campus and needs no map. South Bend's tourism office ought to give him a call. A six-hour drive one way is no impediment. Each trip, though, was about more than establishing familiarity. Rubio has visited Notre Dame at the same time as other Irish targets to recruit them to join the class. He has visited just to meet fellow commits in person. He has returned to keep reminding himself of the reasons he picked Notre Dame, as attention from other schools didn't stop despite his commitment. Rubio told himself that he would choose a school and stay with it. He was allergic to the idea of a flip or decommitment. "One-hundred percent commit- ted," Rubio said after a February 2020 visit. "I'm not changing." Some of the other interested parties understood. Others kept in contact and continued to push for Rivals' No. 109 overall player in the coun- try. Rubio told recruiters from those other programs that he would be sticking with his choice. Still, there's allure in other big-time college foot- ball overtures that is hard for any high schooler to shun. Moments of curiosity are natural. But every return to South Bend confirmed to him an interesting pitch from somewhere else wouldn't out- weigh the pull he felt toward Notre Dame. "I feel like every time I go to Notre Dame, it makes me realize that it was absolutely the right choice to make," Rubio said. Frequent trips to campus by Rubio and five-star offensive tackle Blake Fisher helped Notre Dame's stand- ing with several of its recruiting tar- gets. When they learned of a key re- cruit who was visiting campus, they would reach out and give him the pitch from a fellow high schooler 's perspective. And, if possible, they would join him on the visit. Rubio made sure to toe the line between persistent and overbearing. "If they liked another school more, it was, 'That's all you bro,'" Rubio said. "It was respectful." Rubio became close friends with guard Rocco Spindler, a top-100 recruit out of Clarkston, Mich., because of his role in the recruitment. He met Spin- dler in person on a campus visit back in 2019, and they continued to grow a relationship from there. Spindler picked Notre Dame in August 2020, and by that point, had strong bonds with Rubio and several other Irish commits. He and Rubio frequently logged on to play video games to- gether before arriving at Notre Dame. "From acquaintances," Rubio said, "to best buds." ✦ Gabe Rubio Takes A Liking To South Bend Rubio, a four-star defensive tackle from Missouri, has been a mainstay in South Bend since he committed in 2019. PHOTO BY RIVALS.COM GABE RUBIO DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 · 285 LUTHERAN ST. CHARLES H.S. ST. LOUIS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 109 10* 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 162 10* 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 152 12* 3 * Ranked as DT STATISTICS • Played in only four games as a senior, and recorded 40 tackles and two sacks. • Totaled 117 tackles and 18 sacks in 2019. • His 18 sacks as a junior set the Lutheran St. Charles single-season record. NOTABLE • Born on July 9, 2003. • 2021 Pro Football Hall Of Fame World Bowl selection. • 2020 Missouri All-Conference first team. • No. 5 on the 2020-21 Post-Dispatch preseason Super 30 countdown. • 2019 Archdiocesan Athletics Association (small division) Defensive Player of the Year. • 2019 MaxPreps All-Missouri second-team defense. • 2019 Class 3 All-State first-team selection. • His father, Angel, played for Southeast Mis- souri State and was a seventh-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998 and played profes- sional football for seven years. • His mother, Theresa, is the owner of Grand- ma's Cookies, a sweets shop located in downtown St. Charles, Mo. • Intends to major in fire science. RECRUITMENT • Received an offer from Notre Dame, his dream school, in May 2019 after improving his grades enough so that he could earn the scholarship. • Committed to Notre Dame on June 15, 2019 while on campus for the Notre Dame Linemen's Challenge camp. • Also held offers from Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and others. • Recruited by defensive line coach Mike Elston. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in February. 2021 PROJECTION • Rubio offers the size, strength and ability to contribute as a freshman at Notre Dame, just like Jacob Lacey did in 2019 and Rylie Mills last season. THEY SAID IT Lutheran St. Charles head coach Arlen Harris Sr.: "I think the sky's the limit for him. I think he could be a 330- or 340-pound kid. I also think he could play at 280 and come off the edge. That's just not normal; you can't coach size. With him, you're getting clay and you can sculpt him to be whatever you want him to be, and he's going to do it full speed." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "This is a young man with enormous potential and a terrific attitude on the defensive side of the ball. He has a mean streak a mile wide, he shows great use of hands and a relentless style of play. He hustles on every down and does not let up until the whistle. A coach's dream, he works hard to improve his game and is a ball player with NFL written all over him."