Gabriel Rubio
 Rubio with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026 | |
| No. 96 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 9, 2003 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 321 lb (146 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lutheran St. Charles (St. Peters, Missouri) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026 (6th round, 210th overall pick) |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Gabriel Francis Rubio (born July 9, 2003) is an American professional football defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life
[edit]Rubio grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Lutheran High School of St. Charles County, where he emerged as one of the top defensive linemen in the Midwest. He was rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, ranking as high as the No. 9 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 2 overall player in Missouri.[1] He recorded 117 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 18 sacks as a junior, and earned Second Team All-Missouri honors from MaxPreps in 2019.[1] He committed to play college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[2]
College career
[edit]Rubio made his collegiate debut in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State, recording one tackle.[1] In 2022, he appeared as a reserve defensive lineman and goal-line specialist, finishing the season with 17 tackles and 4 tackles for loss, including a career-best seven tackles against Stanford.[3] In 2023, Rubio played in nine games and totaled 11 tackles. He recorded a pass breakup against USC that resulted in an interception, and forced a late fumble at Clemson.[4] Rubio missed the first five games of the 2024 season after fracturing his foot on the first day of preseason camp.[5] He recorded 24 tackles, including 12 solo, and registered his first career sack at USC.[1] Rubio took over for the final three games after starting defensive tackle Rylie Mills tore his ACL, including the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and National Championship.[6] He was selected to the Hispanic College Football Player of the Year watchlist ahead of the 2025 season.[7] After playing in six games, including five starts, Rubio injured his left elbow, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.[8]
Statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | Sack | PD | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | TD | |||
| 2021 | Notre Dame | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Notre Dame | 12 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Notre Dame | 9 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 11 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 6 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 39 | 66 | 27 | 39 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+1⁄8 in (1.96 m) | 321 lb (146 kg) | 33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 9+1⁄4 in (2.06 m) | 5.29 s | 1.85 s | 3.03 s | 4.87 s | 7.62 s | 26.0 in (0.66 m) | 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) | 26 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[9] | ||||||||||||
Rubio was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 6th round with the 210th pick of the 2026 NFL draft.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Rubio's father Angel was a three-time All-American as a defensive end at Southeast Missouri State. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998 and played two seasons in the NFL.[11][12]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Gabriel Rubio". Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Mazurek, Marek (June 15, 2019). "4-star DT Gabriel Rubio commits to Notre Dame". Fighting Irish Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Freeman, Matt (October 19, 2022). "DL Gabe Rubio Bringing Old School Mentality to Notre Dame". Irish Sports Daily. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Berardino, Mike (October 15, 2023). "Analysis: How Notre Dame football knocked around 'King' Caleb Williams in 48-20 romp". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Berardino, Mike (August 1, 2024). "Fractured foot sidelines Gabriel Rubio after Day 1 of practice for Notre Dame football". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Rittenberg, Adam (December 23, 2024). "Notre Dame star lineman Rylie Mills out of CFP with knee injury". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Rubio Selected to Hispanic College Football Player of the Year Watch List". Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website. October 1, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Shepkowski, Nick (October 16, 2025). "More Bad News for Notre Dame Ahead of USC Showdown". Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI. SI.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Gabriel Rubio College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ Varley, Teresa (April 25, 2026). "Steelers select Rubio in sixth round". Steelers.com. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- ↑ "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ↑ "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. May 22, 1998. Retrieved August 10, 2014.