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Following three stand-out years at White Station, Greg Rubin thought 2020 was going to be the pinnacle of his high school football career.
Rubin was ranked the No. 24 prospect in Tennessee for the class of 2021 and had offers from Memphis, Tennessee, LSU, Vanderbilt and Duke, among others. He hoped to build on his junior performance and finish out his last year playing with his little brother.
Then COVID-19 happened. Then Shelby County Schools suspended the football season, even while other athletes in the area played out their senior season. “It was really hard,” Rubin says, recalling what it was like to hear he wouldn’t take the field for White Station his senior year. “I honestly think I went into a little depression over it.”
Without football, Rubin had to consider his options. Should he leave Memphis and Tennessee to play his senior year?
“I wanted to play bad, like I was going to go out of state to go play football at one point, “ he says. “But really my grandfather made me stay because he didn’t want to risk anything.”
How did Rubin overcome losing an entire year to COVID and still be one of the top Memphis defensive backs in 2021 with 11 starts as a true freshman?
He did what Memphis kids do, persevere.
“It was really hard,” Rubin says, recalling what it was like to hear he wouldn’t take the field for White Station his senior year. “I honestly think I went into a little depression over it.”
"When I first got here I got off to a slow start," he says "But I put my work in, always in working on my craft and watching film, but working with the older guys like Jacob Francis and Quindell Johnson was huge."
After finding himself without a team, Rubin decided to do whatever he could to stay ready for college football.
He couldn’t play high school. Fine. He signed up for a 7-on-7 league with Pro Process Academy.
He couldn't practice with his teammates, so he trained everyday with various coaches and athletes, trying to sharpen his skills any way he could before stepping up to the college game.
Then he committed to Memphis.
“I wanted to be at home,” Rubin says. “I really knew what Memphis offered. I sat down and talked with the coaches at Memphis and they showed so much love and just, this is Memphis, I’ve been here all my life.”
“I love Memphis, so it was really, it really easy decision for me.”
Rubin enrolled early at the University of Memphis and focused on impressing the coaching staff at Spring camp.
When he got to camp, he not only found the coaching staff that showed him all the love during the recruiting process, but also a group of upperclassmen that were more than willing to help him make up for lost time.
“When I first got here I got off to a slow start,” he says “But I put my work in, always in working on my craft and watching film, but working with the older guys like Jacob Francis and Quindell Johnson was huge.”
“Just working with them guys and really just sharpening my toolbox and by the time it was camp, I was in rotation with the ones and twos.”
His work paid off, as Rubin was named a starter as a true freshman.
But in college football, freshman corners get tested.Opposing teams often targeted Rubin early in the season.
Through the first three games of the 2021 season, Rubin was second in the nation in pass breakups.
In the victory of Mississippi State, Rubin posted a season-high eight tackles, five solo, with two pass breakups.
“I really didn't expect to start or anything, I just wanted to be on the field,” Rubin says. “But, they threw me out there and I was like, ‘just play football.’”
“Quindell is like a sensei,” Rubin says. “He knows everything. He knows what people are going to do before anyone else, and he always explains to us where to be and what’s going to happen.”
The Tiger defense has had its ups and downs in 2022, but Rubin says the team is hoping to build on several great performances and deliver a bowl victory.
“I would give the defense a B+ grade,” he says. “I feel like we had our difficult moments, but then we had our moments where we are like the best defense in the nation. I think overall we've been having a good year. “
Rubin says he is still trying to build on last season when he finished the year with 58 tackles and a team-best 14 pass breakups.
In order to be able to perform consistently game in and game out, Rubin has been looking to senior and team captain Johnson.
“Quindell is like a sensei,” Rubin says. “He knows everything. He knows what people are going to do before anyone else, and he always explains to us where to be and what’s going to happen.”
“He’s the type of guy when you get to the building to watch film, he’s already there at least 20 minutes before anyone else.
”He like a sensei. He know everything like in a good way to describe it. He knows everything, he knows what people going to do before anybody else know. Him and Xavier Cullens, they are captains of the defense, they tell us where to be, who to be, what's gonna come. He is the type of guy, like you go in the building, you'll see him. He is already in there watching film like 20 minutes before everybody in there.