Gabriel Rubio Once Again Impressed With Future Home

2021 Notre Dame defensive line commit Gabriel Rubio‍ was back on campus over the weekend and saw the Irish get 52-20 win over Navy. 

The win was impressive, but the Notre Dame defense once again impressed the 6-foot-5, 275-pounder. 

"I thought Notre Dame's defense did great against Navy," stated Rubio. "Playing against that style of offense is no easy task. It’s all about assignments and working as a unit to stop them. 

"I literally just played against that style of offense for the district championship, so I know how tough it can be if even one man doesn’t do his job."

Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston stressed the importance of the game plan to Rubio before the game. 

"Coach Elston’s message to me was discipline," Rubio said. "Do your job and trust your teammates to do theirs. He said it wasn’t going to be an easy game, but he was confident in his players to do everything right to win and they did."

Rubio has done his job all season for Lutheran (Mo.) and probably hasn't received enough recognition nationally. 

The four-star prospect was recently named All-Conference as an offensive lineman and defensive lineman. Rubio was also named the Defensive Player of the Year as he set a school-record with 17 sacks. 

Rubio will look to lead his team to a State Finals appearance this weekend against powerhouse Trinity Catholic. 

"This playoff run means a lot to me and a lot to my teammates as well," explained Rubio. "The last time we went this far was roughly 15 years ago, so it’s been a long time coming for us.
 
"Breaking the sack record for my school is one of the many goals that I set for myself. Finally breaking it feels amazing and I’m only going to push the number higher." 

The St. Louis native has done a great job of balancing football and the classroom all year to lead his team to this point, but he's still balancing recruiting. 

Despite being solid in his commitment to the Irish, other programs have continued to pursue him. 

"It’s a little tough at times," Rubio explained. "Head coaches are texting me every day and I don’t want to be rude, but I also will never disrespect Notre Dame or my commitment by reaching out to or visiting other coaches/schools. 

"I’m an honest person and I don’t lie. I think that coaches respect that."

The Notre Dame staff is aware Rubio is being pursued by other programs and knocked it out of the park again on Saturday as he was able to spend time with a handful of coaches. 

"The highlight of the visit was the actual time I got to spend talking to the coaching staff and watching Notre Dame get the win," said Rubio. "I had private time with Coach (Brian) Kelly, Elston, (Clark) Lea, (Jeff) Quinn and Chief (Keli'ikuewa Kekuewa) one at a time in the locker room." 

Highlights from Friday's game: