It is true we share the same last name, though, we are not brothers, family, and we do not know each other, one thing that does connect us, is the passion and love for college football, and the university of Notre Dame, my name is Santiago Rubio and I had the opportunity to talk, interview and get to closely know future Notre Dame defensive tackle, St. Peter’s Lutheran’s star, Gabriel Rubio.

We went into detail with Gabriel about his past, present and future thanks to a series of questions that Gabe answered for Gráfico Sports.

I wanted to know about Gabriel, who he was, and how did he get to the point where he is today and what was behind this sack machine that plays for the Lutheran St Charle’s Cougars.

Gabriel was born and raised in St Peter’s, a small town outside of St. Louis, Missouri, his father, Ángel Rubio, is a local firefighter and is a former NFL player, and like his son, he was a defensive lineman who once was part of teams like the Steelers, 49ers and the Bengals, he is originally from Florida, and Gabriel tells me that’s where the “Rubio” comes from in his family.

Gabriel grew up in St. Peter’s along with his three brothers and one sister, he grew up rooting for his hometown baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals. He started playing the game of football at an early age, and always played as a defensive lineman because he has always been bigger than most guys his age. He tells me his idol growing up was a defensive as well in the form of packers legend Reggie White. Aside from football, Gabriel enjoys hanging out with his siblings, making homemade tacos, swimming and lifting weights with his teammates.

Gabriel attended Lutheran St Charle’s high school in Missouri, where he played football, and since the age of 15, during his freshman year, he made the varsity team and was already playing under the lights on friday nights, at that age as well he started attending D-Lineman Camps organized by different colleges and started making himself a name in front of the scouts.

One of the best moments in Gabriel’s young life, said by Gabriel Himself, was when Notre Dame offered him a scholarship, he said he felt very excited and blessed to receive an offer from a school like Notre Dame, after many offers and visits, Rubio finally decided to commit to the irish on 2019, while he was still a sophmore, since then Gabe has visited the campus several times and has attended the games at Notre Dame stadium to watch his future teammates.

When I asked Gabriel why did he choose Notre Dame above all of the other options he had, his answer was simple, “I really like the university, the team, the history of the school, the winning tradition and especially the great family environment that you feel in the campus.

I also asked him about the current situation and the reality he lives in day in day out, and how the Coronavirus is affecting his everyday life. Like most of us, he is worried about not having a season, but he is staying positive and he hopes for a normal season, which will be his last one at St Charle’s. If football is moved to spring, he will not be able to step on the field as a cougar again as Gabriel is graduating early so he can join his Notre Dame teammates for spring and summer camps.

Finally, we asked Gabriel, where does he see himself in 5 to 10 years, to which he answered, that he wants to finish his studies, he does not know what he wants to study once he’s in South Bend, but he told me he’d like something related to medicine, like to be a paramedic, he sees himself graduating from the university of Notre Dame and entering the NFL Draft and to be one of the top defensive lineman in his class and to be playing on sundays at the top level.

It was a very nice experience talking with young Gabriel, he is a great athlete, and more importantly a great person, who will without a doubt will be a difference maker once fall 2021 comes and be a great player and we are sure he will give us many great moments while wearing the navy and gold.

Go Irish

Follow me on twitter @SantiagoRubioGS