UCF offensive tackle Paul Rubelt set to wind down career with Senior Day
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Paul Rubelt stood staring at the blank whiteboard, pen in hand, and immediately knew he was in trouble.
As a freshman offensive lineman, Rubelt was asked by his UCF coaches to diagram the differences between an even and odd front. For someone born and raised in Germany, who didn’t grow up playing American football until his teens, it was all new to him.
“I was standing there thinking: I’m not going to last a year. I don’t know the simplest thing about football,” Rubelt said recently to the Sentinel.
Nearly six seasons later, Rubelt is one of 25 seniors to be honored as part of UCF’s Senior Day on Saturday before the Knights host Oklahoma State at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium in the home finale.
“I knew I wasn’t going to quit,” Rubelt recalled of those early days. “When I start a thing, I’m going to end it, but I did think I might get kicked off the team.”
Rubelt, 25, has gone from being a virtual unknown knocked on his backside in his first practice in 2020 to being a multi-year starter at tackle for the Knights. In an age when a player’s commitment to a school is more like a summer romance, Rubelt has been a cornerstone of the program, having played through three coaching changes and a move to a Power 4 conference.
Knightro may be UCF’s mascot, but Rubelt has been the face of the program throughout much of this season with a happy-go-lucky smile despite the hard times.
“He’s been a great anchor for us. He’s like an ambassador for UCF,” said coach Scott Frost. “I know the passion he has for UCF. He’s loved his time here, like most of the guys have, and we’ll be sad to see him go, but I think he has bright things ahead.”
“In the short time that I’ve known him, he’s almost like a brother to me,” said senior running back Myles Montgomery.
It’s hard to miss Rubelt.
At 6-foot-10, he typically stands a head taller than the rest of the UCF players on the practice field, and at 310 pounds, Rubelt is an imposing figure. Yet his cheery disposition and sense of humor also help him stand out.
When asked what fans will most remember him for, Rubelt said, “I’m tall,” followed by a bellowing laugh.
But he quickly gets serious.
“I don’t know what people will remember. Everybody’s different, but what I want people to remember me for is that I’m loyal to the program,” Rubelt said. “That I stand for my word and am a man of my word and I hope everybody thinks I’m a great guy.”
Rubelt’s athletic career began in his hometown of Frankfurt-Oder, where he joined a local swimming club. Eventually, he traded in the pool for the green grass of a football field, playing for the Red Cocks American football club.
He came to America and played his first tackle football at Hiawatha High School near Rockford, Illinois, before eventually earning an offer from former UCF coach Josh Heupel.
It was Heupel, who coached the Knights from 2018-20, who helped out Rubelt in those early days.
“He would give me confidence when I would talk to him,” Rubelt said.
A few years later, it would be head coach Gus Malzahn and offensive line coach Herb Hand who would trust him enough to make him a starter. Rubelt credits Hand’s tutelage for the player he is today.
On Saturday, Rubelt will celebrate his final home game with his parents and about a dozen family and friends who made the trip from Germany.
Rubelt’s father, Andreas, has been in Orlando over the past couple of weeks. He arrived in time to watch Rubelt play in UCF’s Space Game against Houston on Nov. 7. Since then, the 71-year-old musician has been taking in his son’s daily schedule, including watching practice and even enjoying a meal with the offensive line.
“My dad’s not really big into smartphones and stuff like that,” said Rubelt. “I’ve sent him a couple of YouTube clips of game highlights that he can watch. Other than that, he can’t comprehend the game, but he wants to understand. He’s asking the right questions, but it’s hard.”
Still, Andreas remains a proud father.
“Am I the dad? Is this my son?” Andreas said with Rubelt translating. “I knew he was always athletic because he swam and had a pretty good time doing it. I was always with him when he had competitions and I noticed early on that he liked team sports.
“When he started playing football, you could see him starting to embrace it and it fit like a glove.”
Andreas, 71, participated in track and field before eventually choosing a musical career. He picked up a trumpet at 9 years old and has been playing ever since in a variety of bands.
“Because I know about embracing the grind, that’s how he knows I’m his son,” Rubelt added.
Rubelt’s mother, Kerstin, aims to arrive on Friday from Germany along with a group of nearly a dozen friends and family. She’ll be seeing her son play football for the first time, even though she previously attended the 2023 Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa against Georgia Tech; Rubelt didn’t play in that game.
“My mom knows [football] a little bit and my uncle is trying to get into it,” said Rubelt.
It’s been tough for his family and friends back home to watch his games. They can occasionally catch them on a streaming service, but it can be difficult given the 6-hour time difference between the East Coast and Germany.
Rubelt admits he’ll have goosebumps before kickoff on Saturday, especially when taking the field with his parents during the Senior Day celebration.
“For me, football is the greatest thing in the world,” said Rubelt. “People from Germany, not everybody knows about football like that, but I know that when they see it, they’ll think this is just awesome. Everybody’s told me afterward that this is amazing. So let’s hope that’s the case this Saturday.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
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