Gabriel Rubio’s verbal to Notre Dame last month gave the Fighting Irish their first defensive lineman commit in the 2021 recruiting cycle.
The Luthern Of St. Charles County (Saint Peters, MO) product is now one of five overall prospects in the class joining offensive linemen Blake Fisher (Avon, IN) and Greg Crippen (Bradenton, FL) as well as quarterback Tyler Buchner (La Jolla, CA) and tight end Cane Berrong (Hartwell, GA).
Rubio reflected on the factors which impacted his decision to commit.
“Notre Dame has the perfect combination of academic excellence and athletic competitiveness that I’m looking for,” he said. “Attending a faith based university means so much to me. I was able to narrow down who I was interested in pretty easily, but my relationship with [defensive line] coach [Mike] Elston really was a big influence.”
The incoming junior landed a scholarship offer from the Fighting Irish in May following a South Bend visit this past January.
He also made trips during the current off-season to Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Ball State, Indiana, Minnesota, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
