Trainer | 2026 Notre Dame QB Target Noah Grubbs Is A Winner

By Christian McCollum

May 2, 2024

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It didn’t take Baylin Trujillo long to see Noah Grubbs’ potential.

“The first-ever training that I was actually able to focus with him in a one-on-one setting, I figured out quickly that he had the tools,” Trujillo of BTruQBTraining says. “He had the easy delivery, the fast twitch in his delivery, he had the lower body mechanics, he had strong legs, he was a big body at 6-4 already as an eighth grader - so I knew early that he had all the tools to be successful.”

Grubbs had received plenty of coaching and learned the game as a youth player thanks in large part to former UCF receiver Tyson Hinshaw, but individual quarterback training was new.

Trujillo was convinced Grubbs could become a true national prospect, especially if he focused on football over baseball.

“He was able to put things together without really knowing what he was doing,” Trujillo says. “I knew with the experience that I have in developing quarterbacks that if he was able to put the baseball down, that he was going to be flawless in his delivery and his mechanics and with that in sync with his fast twitch, everything was going to come together.”

It has.

By the start of his sophomore year at Lake Mary High School this past season, Grubbs had already cemented his status as a national prospect with offers from schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Miami, Duke and Texas A&M among many others. He hasn’t slowed down since, adding offers from schools like Florida, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Auburn and Ole Miss.

The benefit of getting such an early state is that Grubbs is likely to have his college decision before the start of his junior season and it could come pretty soon.

Trujillo believes Grubbs has the potential to compete at the next level immediately.

“A college program is not getting a kid that they need to develop,” he says. “He's already going to be polished. He's already going to be ready to put himself in a position to compete as a true freshman. Whereas most kids coming into a program are going to need that one year, maybe two years to develop and maybe learn a system to really advance their IQ level, Noah has already had all of that.”

Physically, Grubbs has already shown the ability to add and cut weight as a program sees fit.

After being told by one college program that it likes its quarterbacks to check in around 6-4, 225, Grubbs spent six months adding 40 pounds to get to 228 before his sophomore season. Upon further consideration, Grubbs realized it would be better to put that weight on naturally.

Trujillo got him with speed and agility trainer Tony Ponton and cut down from 228 to 195 pounds since July.

“Now, he's at like 8 percent body fat and he's shredded,” Trujillo notes. “He's the strongest he's ever been. Now, Noah's running in that 4.7, 4.8 category, whereas a year ago at 228 he was running a 5.2. I think he can still get stronger. He can still work on his speed. I think the faster you're going to be, the more dynamic you're going to be because at the end of the day when you get to the next level, you are going to have to use your legs at some point. You can't just be a robot sitting in the pocket.

“A coach can mold him into what they really want, whether they want that big, pro-style guy or they want a more agile guy who can run.”

Grubbs hasn’t needed to use his legs much at Lake Mary, making snap decisions and crisp, accurate passes to throw for 49 touchdowns a year ago.

“He knows where he's throwing the ball before that ball even hits his hand, so when he sees it, he reacts to it,” Trujillo says. “The ball's out within three seconds. That's what we always train our guys to do, no matter if you're a dual threat or not. If you're a true pure passing quarterback, your clock is three seconds or less. He's been coached well enough to know where he's throwing the ball before the snap's even taking place.”

Still, Trujillo understood college coaches would want to see Grubbs’ athleticism, so he puts him through drills to display that during workouts, providing cut-ups for schools.

“You've got to make moves and be elusive and be agile and be able to do things with your feet,” Trujillo allows. “I'm excited to see how Noah does this year without that weight on. He threw 49 touchdowns last year and set seven school records that's never been broken before. He shattered them. Just imagine what he can do now when you're 8 percent body fat, feeling the best you've ever felt. And on top of that, your arm strength even got stronger and you just are physically more dynamic.

“I think we're going to see a side of Noah Grubs this year that no one's ever seen, which is going to put himself in that five-star ranking. He's already the number three quarterback in the country. I can't imagine what he's about to do this year. He will be a five-star, maybe reach to that number two or number one spot when it's all said and done. He's on track to be a physical and mental freak. I think right now the focus physically is to stay where he's at and add maybe a little bit more speed to his game to solidify himself as the number one quarterback in the entire country.”

Grubbs credits Trujillo with doing exactly what he said he would do since the start of their relationship and then some.

“Without Baylin, I don't know where I would be to be honest,” says Grubbs. “He's definitely a guy who's helped me through ups and downs, thick and thin. He's been there for me all throughout the process from the first day that he told me to drop the baseball and just focus on football all the way until now. He will stick with me through this process.

“He's a great guy, not only for football, but he's a mentor. He's obviously a football coach, he's a leader and he's like a brother to me. He's like family. To have somebody like that by your side, who's your trainer, who can get you through things, it definitely helps you get a step ahead of other people for sure.”

Grubbs always had supreme physical skills and he continues to enhance those. He’s had a high football IQ since he was a youngster and continues to build on that.

The final piece is his desire - not just to be the best, but to win.

“He's always been a winner,” says Trujillo. “He hates losing. He hates the fact that if someone has the up on him or if he lost to a team not having the ability to get back or whatever that case may be, he always has the competitive nature to win. He's so accustomed to winning; whether that's winning a job, whether that's winning a football game, whether that's having the highest grade on a test in class, whether that's being on time before everybody else shows up to the weight room or on the field, whatever the case may be. He is very strong in his competitive nature to be the best at whatever he's doing and it doesn't matter if it's sports-related or not.”

Trujillo says it’s his responsibility to help Grubbs through adversity and help him become resilient when things don’t always go his way, whether it’s his fault or not.

“You can't control defense, you can't control special teams, but you can control how you play and how you lead the guys around you,” says Trujillo. “If you're able to check that box off, then you shouldn't feel down. You shouldn't feel discouraged if you do happen to experience a loss. We can use that and channel it now. 'OK, how can I get better individually so that I don't feel like it was on me?' You should never feel that way. You should prepare yourself to the point where I don't have to feel like I'm taking the responsibility like Superman to win a game or to put everything on your shoulders.

“If you trust your preparation, if you do all that stuff, then the rest of it will hopefully come together and that will result in the outcomes you want in life and on the field. A college program is getting a natural competitor who wants to be the best at whatever he’s trying to do.

“He's ready to learn the playbook, get thrown in the fire, compete for the starting job and hopefully win a couple national titles.”

The Irish would love for him to do that with them.