St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles defensive tackle and class of 2021 Notre Dame pledge Gabriel Rubio has been a regular around South Bend ever since he committed last summer.
He visited for three Fighting Irish home games in the fall and returned to campus Saturday for Notre Dame's Super Bowl Saturday prospect day.
"The visit was extremely successful," Rubio said. "I had a great time visiting the campus and the coaches, and most importantly, I had a great time talking to the new recruits and possible future teammates."
Despite his pledge to the Irish, other schools, including a few in the SEC, continue to express interest in Rubio. However, he's locked in with Notre Dame.
"100 percent committed. I'm not changing," stated Rubio.
Why is Rubio so strongly committed to Notre Dame?
"Mainly Coach [Mike] Elston, the brotherhood, the tradition and academics," answered Rubio. "Everything about Notre Dame makes it a special place. That's the reason I chose it."
Rubio is thrilled about the future of the Notre Dame football program.
"I'm very excited," he said. "We have some young guys with great potential. Under our coaching staff, I believe we'll be one of the best teams."
Notre Dame has assembled a strong 2021 class early on in the recruiting cycle, and Rubio explained just how tight they are as a unit.
"We all are together in this," explained Rubio. "We have a group chat and are always trying to meet up and select certain days where we can all head over to Notre Dame. We communicate pretty often, letting each other know what's new."
Avon (Ind.) High offensive lineman Blake Fisher isn't the only Irish commit recruiting other prospects.
Rubio reports that he's working hard on Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy defensive end Aaron Armitage, and he spent time with Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara on Saturday. Rubio is speaking with other defensive line prospects as well.
Rivals ranks Rubio as the nation's No. 95 prospect and No. 8 defensive tackle.
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