GABRIEL RUBIO
Lutheran of St. Charles High School; St. Peters, Mo.
Measurements: 6’5, 280 lbs.Accolades: The consensus four-star recruit is the No. 9 defensive tackle in the class, per rivals.com, the No. 2 prospect in Missouri and the No. 106 overall player in the country.
Other Notable Offers: Rubio committed to Notre Dame in June of 2019, which presumably kept some schools from even offering him at all despite his NFL lineage. Nonetheless, he was chased not only by his homestate Missouri, but also by Georgia, LSU and Ohio State, among many others. He visited the Buckeyes less than two weeks before making his Irish pledge.
Projected Position: Rubio’s 6-foot-5 frame already carries notable weight. Combining that length with such size should make him an ideal three-technique tackle, following in the footsteps of Jerry Tillery, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Jayson Ademilola.
Quick Take: Notre Dame has prioritized defensive line rotation the last four years, so Rubio will have plenty of motivation to turn his early enrollment into strength and conditioning results.
Short-Term Roster Outlook: When healthy this season, Ademilola has served as much as a 1B as Tagovailoa-Amosa’s backup. Both have two years of eligibility remaining thanks to the universal coronavirus mulligan, but it would be a surprise to see Tagovailoa-Amosa around South Bend in 2022. But as a freshman, Rubio should focus on simply providing that rotation a few snaps off each game.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: In 2022, Rubio will have competition in securing playing time. Current freshman Rylie Mills has greatly impressed with his increased role this last month while Ademilola recovered from a slight meniscus tear. If approached with the right attitude, though, Rubio can turn that to his advantage. As mentioned above, the Irish have leaned into defensive line depth in recent years. A defensive tackle pairing will serve both better than the singular load-carrying Tillery endured.
SIGNING DAY COVERAGE
— On Signing Day, remember Notre Dame’s surge has hinged on three-stars
— A Signing Day surprise: Four-star safety Khari Gee, flipped from LSU
— A Signing Day surprise: Consensus four-star RB Audric Estime, flipped from Michigan State
— Consensus four-star QB Tyler Buchner
— Trio of four-star WRs in Lorenzo Styles, Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas
— Five-star offensive tackle Blake Fisher and four-star guard Rocco Spindler
— Consensus four-star LB Prince Kollie, the day’s greatest worry
— Hawaiian LB Kahanu Kia
— Cornerbacks Philip Riley and Ryan Barnes
— Three-star cornerbacks JoJo Johnson and Chance Tucker
— Consensus three-star safety Justin Walters
— Tight ends Cane Berrong and Mitchell Evans— Consensus four-star defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio— Pair of California defensive ends, Will Schweitzer and Devin Aupiu
— Three more offensive linemen in Caleb Johnson, Pat Coogan & Joe Alt
— Inexperienced defensive end Jason Onye
— Kicker Joshua Bryan