Gabriel Rubio Prepared for Early Enrollment at Notre Dame

2020 was a tough year for many and that includes 2021 Notre Dame signee Gabriel Rubio‍. 

The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder saw his senior season cut short due to COVID and then suffered a minor knee injury during the year. 

Yet, Rubio kept a positive attitude as he kept his eye on the bigger goal of enrolling at Notre Dame later this week. 

"No matter how many bad things happen throughout the year, you can still get everything done," Rubio told ISD. "Having the injury and games canceled are just minor setbacks to the big goal of going to college and going past that. 

"I see them as learning opportunities and nothing to beat yourself about because they come and go. That's part of how football works. You sign up for it. You expect to get hurt, banged up and all that good stuff."

It was also an extremely special year for the four-star prospect as he was able to play alongside his brother, Isaiah Rubio‍. who was a freshman at St. Lutheran (Mo.) last fall. 

"It was awesome," stated Rubio. "He's a whole grade down because he was born later than the school year deadline. We never got the opportunity to play football with each other. We were always on separate teams and he couldn't play up because he was too young.

"This was the one year that I could actually play with him. I'm extremely proud of the way he's developed as a player and a person. We've been training the entire offseason in our backyard. It was basically him and I against the world. I really feel like he's going to be the next big thing because he has the heart and the ability to do it." 

Rubio might believe his brother has a bright future, but he's also focused on his own future. 

The chance to start college early was always a goal and Rubio feels prepared for it. 

"I'm extremely excited," Rubio explained. "I can't wait to go up there and be with all the pros. I'm ready to start the next chapter in my life and it's going to be a fun ride.

"I feel I'm pretty prepared, but there's always more stuff to learn. There's always more technique you can do. You can always get stronger and faster. I definitely feel prepared and I've been told and I've seen that the hardest thing to transition into is the speed of the game. I can't wait to see how I shape up and react to that." 

Training and putting in the work has never been a knock on Rubio, so it's not surprising to hear he's ready to go from a physical standpoint. 

"Coming in the best shape possible is a big focus, but also another focus has been the conditioning aspect," Rubio said. "We get our workouts through this app and I make sure I'm doing the correct weight and always trying to raise my game a little every day.

"I could have been lifting X amount of weight last week and I felt good about it, so I'll decide that today I'll go a little heavier and that's just the process I've been going through." 

Mike Elston has also made sure Rubio knows what awaits him in South Bend. 

"The last time I talked to him, we talked about getting started in school and training," stated Rubio. "Basically, he told me how I would develop as a player playing in the 3-tech and trying to be the best player I can be." 

As for what he'll miss the most, it's pretty simple for Rubio. 

"I'll definitely miss my friends and family," said Rubio. "I'll miss living in my own house as I'll be living in the dorm for the next four years. I'll miss my favorite chair I have here too."

Senior Highlights