Film Don't Lie | Rubio the Run Stuffer
It hasn’t been an easy road for Gabriel Rubio at Notre Dame.
In his first fall camp, it was clear he wasn’t very close to contributing. He would need time to develop both physically and technically as a defensive tackle. In year two, he made progress towards being in the rotation on the defensive line, but he had his share of good and bad reps when he was on the field.
Last year was supposed to be his breakout season. He had put in the necessary work for that to happen and he might have been on his way for that to happen, but a knee injury in the season opener kept him out of action until the end of September. Rubio ended up playing in only nine games and he didn’t exactly put up eye-catching numbers. 11 tackles, eight pressures, and zero tackles for loss might not make anyone believe he made a big impact.
Those numbers aren’t a reflection of what he put on tape, though. Rubio did make a leap with his play, specifically against the run. Out of all returning interior defensive lineman who played 100+ snaps from Power 5 programs last season, Rubio finished tied for 9th with his overall PFF grade (Howard Cross finished second and Rylie Mills finished tied for 6th). He had the fifth best run defense grade out of those defensive tackles as well.
This is a really nice job of him sticking on guard Donovan Jackson (74) on the split zone run to the left. Then it’s about strength and leverage with him shedding the block and getting involved with the tackle in the hole. (Fantastic job by Jordan Botelho setting the edge here too)
This was a huge play against Clemson where he ultimately forced a fumble. I would love to see his pad level lower, but he’s able to throw the right tackle (78) into the hold and then his paw on the football to knock it out.
Very few players are going to play with perfect technique every time. The most important thing is to be able to recover and still win on the play. That’s what Rubio does here when he takes his lateral step left and doesn’t do a good of getting up the field right after it. The linebackers are running a Cross Dog inside and that’s why Rubio has to go from inside shade of the guard to the B gap.
In 2022, he is getting washed out of the play by the guard. He’s able to sink his hips and anchor to stop that from happening. He then gets involved with the tackle.
When Notre Dame played in a Bear front with three defensive tackles, Rubio was the next man in beside Cross and Mills and was very good in that role. When he was healthy, Al Washington would rotate him in playing with either of the two starters and the defense did not miss a beat when it came to stopping the run.
I know the TFLs weren’t there, but he led all Notre Dame defenders last season in average depth of tackle (0.7 yards).
There was a drop off rushing the passer. That’s an area where Rubio needs to make more of an impact. He’s not consistently explosive enough off the ball or laterally to be someone who could play in Notre Dame’s 3rd down packages, but he can do a better job of pushing the pocket. He can win with quick hands and power like he did on this rep where he ragdolled the guard who tried to short set him.
Him being away from the team in the spring was not a good thing for his development. He could have used the extra reps that others got while they gave limited reps to Cross and Mills. He still should have a chance to build on how he played last season and is back with the team this summer.
That’s a very good thing because he’s a valuable run-stopper who should hopefully be able to give Cross and Mills more of a break this fall. He should also be able to position himself as a key piece for the defense in 2025 as well. Despite not making an instant impact at Notre Dame, Rubio has made steady progress to the point that there should be an expectation that he’s on par with both Cross and Mills this season.
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