Buckeyes offer fast-rising defensive tackle
The St. Louis (MO) area has been good to Ohio State over the past decade as the Buckeyes have been able to pry away some of the area's top prospects with names like Zeke Elliott, Kamryn Babb, and Jameson Williams.
Recently the Buckeyes dipped back into the area to offer class of 2021 defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio out of Lutheran of Saint Charles. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound prospect has been on a roll recently, racking up several Big Ten offers. The offer from the Buckeyes definitely made some waves.
"I was beyond excited when I was offered," said Rubio. "Ohio State is a powerhouse program and a great school and I’d be out of my mind if I didn’t understand how special an OSU offer is. I can’t wait to get to campus and spend time with the coaches."
Ohio State sent multiple assistants through the school during the month of January. A mid-January stop by Brian Hartline kicked things off.
"Coach Hartline came to my school and met with my head coach Arlen Harris," Rubio recalled. "I ran into them when I was on my way to the office. My coach said that he liked what he saw and that he was going to watch my film. A few days later I was working out with my team and coach Harris pulled me aside and said that coach Hartline called him and said that after breaking down my film they loved it and offered."
The Buckeyes then followed up by sending new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison through the school the following week. Mattison and the Buckeyes are pushing to get Rubio on campus this off-season.
"(Mattison) said that he was impressed with my film," Rubio stated. "He wants me to come to OSU this spring. I'm planning on going but I don't have a date yet."
Rubio says he hasn't put too much thought into Ohio State's results in the St. Louis area but that the Buckeyes' overall tradition has caught his eye.
"Scholarships are hard to come by so I take every one of them seriously," he stated. "I work hard to show that I deserve them. But when a school like Ohio State believes in you enough to offer, it’s hard for anyone not to notice."
Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, and Minnesota are among Rubio's other early offers.