Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 OCT. 11, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER A unique aspect of Blue & Gold Il- lustrated's recruiting coverage is the emphasis on live, in-person view- ings of Notre Dame recruits. And to start the high school season, BGI saw the Irish's quarterback commit in the 2026 class. On Aug. 23, BGI made it to Lake Mary (Fla.) High to watch Irish pledge Noah Grubbs, who is ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 31 passer in America by Rivals. Grubbs committed to Notre Dame in the summer of 2024 over offers from Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State and many others. Lake Mary faced off against Miami Norland — a South Florida powerhouse — and Grubbs' squad was considered the clear underdog. And early on, the game played out that way. Norland marched down the field to score the game's first touchdown. On Lake Mary's opening series, Grubbs was dropped on first down by an unblocked defensive end — the kind of pressure he'd face for much of the night. Norland took a 13-0 lead, but Grubbs connected with Florida International receiver commit Barrett Schulz for a second-quarter score to cut it to 13-7. From there, it was all Norland. The visitors were up 19-7 before Grubbs threw a pick six, and Norland had a 29-7 lead going into halftime. The score held until the fourth, when Grubbs rolled right and hit Schulz again to make it 29- 14 with eight minutes left. The Lake Mary defense got the ball back to Grubbs, and the running game got going. Grubbs powered in a rushing score on a quarterback sneak, and the two-point conversion was good, mak- ing it a 29-22 ball game with 3:59 left. The Rams' defense delivered again, stuffing a fourth-down speed option and handing Grubbs the ball with a chance to finish the comeback. A tunnel screen was executed to per- fection with Grubbs connecting with receiver Anthony Totin for a major gain, putting Lake Mary inside the Norland 30-yard line. The drive was capped off with Grubbs connecting with Schulz for touchdown pass No. 3, cutting Nor- land's lead to 29-28. Lake Mary initially lined up for an ex- tra point kick, but an offsides call on Norland changed the plan. Head coach Scott Perry and offensive coordinator Adam Donnelly kept the offense out, and running back O'Shea Faison mus- cled in the two-point try. With just 44 seconds left, Lake Mary took a 30-29 lead. Norland drove into chip-shot field goal range, but the 27- yard attempt was blocked — sealing the upset. The epic, season-opening, one-for- the-ages comeback was completed. "I feel that we just wanted it more," Lake Mary head coach Scott Perry said. "We kept fighting and fighting. We weren't able to move the ball on them in the first three quarters like we did in the fourth quarter. I don't know if they got tired out or our heart and tenacity took over." For three quarters, it looked like one of the worst nights of Grubbs' career — 2 interceptions and little rhythm on offense. But he flipped the script with clutch throws and runs. "Things weren't clicking in the be- ginning, and we had to rally the troops as a unit," Grubbs said. "We got it to- gether — things went north from there." Grubbs completed 12 of 24 attempts for 154 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, plus added 10 rushes for 41 important yards and a score on the ground. GRUBBS HAS AN 'IT' FACTOR ABOUT HIM The first three quarters were rough for Grubbs and the Rams. Their lone early touchdown came on a short field after a bad Norland punt, and otherwise the offense had no rhythm. Lake Mary got the run game going more in the second half which settled the game down and gave the offense some momentum, but Grubbs had to make plays with his legs and deliver some clutch throws to give his squad a spark. Even despite his 2 early interceptions — which both seemed to be his fault — he never pouted. Never got down on himself. He kept fighting and it resulted in him accounting for 4 touchdowns (3 passing and 1 rushing). Doubt Grubbs at your own risk. His ranking may have slipped, and his team isn't as loaded as years past. But when the game is on the line, Grubbs delivers. There's just something about him. There's no doubt he's a pocket passer, but when you talk to folks around the Lake Mary program, they'll tell you that Grubbs has always had the ability to make plays outside the pocket, but he just hasn't had to. But his offensive line is in a rebuild, and it's not a vintage Lake Mary receiv- ing corps. Grubbs has more responsibil- ity than ever to make plays for his of- fense, and that will result in him tucking and running more often. At 6-4½, 195 pounds, Grubbs isn't twitchy, but he's a long strider with sneaky acceleration. Adding playmaking ability outside the pocket to his arsenal will be huge for his development. ✦ F O O T B A L L RECRUITING In-Person Review Of Quarterback Commit Noah Grubbs Grubbs, a 2026 Irish commit from Lake Mary (Fla.) High, is considered a four-star recruit, and the nation's No. 21 quarterback and No. 255 overall prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS