Twitter: @lukerubenzer8 | @calfootball
Instagram: lukerubenz8 | cal_football
Pronunciation
ROO-benzer
Rubenzer has played in 41 games with seven starts over his four seasons at Cal (2014-17), starting his career as a quarterback in his first campaign as a 2013 true freshman before moving to safety for his final three. Rubenzer also briefly returned to quarterback for the first part of 2016 spring practices before moving back to the safety position he played over his final three campaigns. Rubenzer finished his career with 123 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss (-6 yards), four interceptions that he returned for 72 yards, five pass breakups and three fumble recoveries on defense. He recorded the majority of his single-season career highs as a 2016 junior with 58 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (-5 yards) and 72 interception return yards, while his two interceptions equaled the two he had as a 2015 sophomore. Rubenzer saw significant action in 11 games off the bench at quarterback as a 2014 rookie primarily on running packages and was the team’s third-leading rusher and scorer on the ground with 225 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 52 carries that were second on the team. He also completed 12-of-21 passes (57.1%) for 166 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions for a 126.40 passer efficiency rating.
Rubenzer's Career Game Highs
Tackles: 12 (vs. Arizona State, 2015)
Tackles For Loss: 1.0 (twice, last at Oregon State, 2016)
Tackle For Loss Yards: 2 (twice, last vs. Utah, 2016)
Fumble Recoveries: 1 (three times, last vs. Weber State, 2017)
Interceptions: 1 (four times, last at USC, 2016)
Interception Return Yards: 45 (vs. Texas, 2016)
Long Interception Return: 45 (vs. Texas, 2016)
Pass Breakups: 2 (vs. Weber State, 2017)
Rushes: 12 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Rushing Yards: 60 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Rushing TDs: 2 (vs. Oregon, 2014)
Long Rush: 17 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Pass Completions: 5 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Pass Attempts: 9 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Passing Yards: 84 (vs. Sacramento State, 2014)
Passing TDs: 1 (twice, last vs. UCLA, 2014)
Long Pass: 60TD (vs. Sacramento State, 2014)
Interceptions Thrown: 2 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Receptions: 1 (vs. Colorado, 2014)
Receiving Yards: 9 (vs. Colorado, 2014)
Long Reception: 9 (vs. Colorado, 2014)
All-Purpose Yards: 60 (vs. Stanford, 2014)
Punts: 1 (twice, last at Oregon, 2015)
Punting Yards: 39 (vs. BYU, 2014)
Punting Average: 39.0 (vs. BYU, 2014)
Long Punt: 39 (vs. BYU, 2014)
Inside 20-Yard Line Punts: 1 (vs. BYU, 2014)
Points: 12 (vs. Oregon, 2014)
Cal Career (2014 – Present)
• Has played in 37 games with seven starts since his arrival at Cal in 2013, starting his career as a quarterback in his first campaign as a 2013 true freshman before moving to his current safety spot
• Briefly returned to quarterback at the beginning of 2016 spring practices and was one of five signal-callers battling for a starting position before returning to safety
• Second among all active Cal players with his involvement in seven turnovers with his three fumble recoveries tied for the most and four interceptions that he has returned for 72 interception yards second
• Third among active Cal players with 100 tackles, while adding 2.5 tackles for loss (-5 yards) and four pass breakups
• Recorded the majority of his single-season career highs as a 2016 junior with 58 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (-5 yards), 72 interception return yards, two fumble recoveries and involvement in four turnovers, while adding a career-high-tying two interceptions
• Has a single-season career-high two pass greakups in his first five games as a 2017 senior
• Played in a single-season career-high 12 games in his first collegiate season on defense as a sophomore and equaled his career best with two interceptions
• Recorded a single-game career-high 12 tackles in the first start of his career in the regular-season finale of his sophomore season vs. Arizona State
• Other single-game career highs include a pair of games with 1.0 tackle for loss and two tackle for loss yards lost, two contests with a single fumble recovery, four contests with one interception, 45 interception return yards against Texas and two pass breakups vs. Weber State, with all coming during his junior campaign other than his first two games with an interception which occurred as a sophomore and his two pass breakups against Weber State that happened as a junior
• Completed 12-of-21 passes (57.1%) for 166 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for a 126.40 passer efficiency rating as a 2014 freshman
• Added 52 carries for 225 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground as a freshman, while tacking on one reception for nine yards and a career-high-tying one punt for a career-high and career-long 39 yards that pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line
• Registered single-game career highs in several categories as a true freshman at Stanford with 12 rushes and 60 yards on the ground, as well as completions and pass attempts as he was 5-of-9 for 49 yards but also threw a career-high two interceptions
• Also had a 17-yard rush that is the longest of his career against Stanford as a freshman, while picking up his single career reception for nine yards vs. Colorado
• Had the longest pass completion of his career on his first collegiate touchdown throw of 60 yards to Darius Powe against Sacramento State as a freshman
• Twice named Pac-12 All-Academic honors, earning honorable mention recognition as a junior following an appearance on the second team during his sophomore campaign
Senior (2017)
• Played in nine games off the bench and contributed 21 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss (-1 yard), a career-high three pass breakups and one fumble recovery
• Recorded a season-high six tackles and his lone 0.5 tackles for loss (-1 yard) of the season vs. Oregon State
• Picked up five tackles, a season-high two breakups and the fumble recovery against Weber State
• Had four tackles and one pass breakup in the season finale and the last contest of his collegiate career at UCLA
• Registered three tackles at Stanford
• Also recorded one tackle in the season-opener at North Carolina and one at Oregon
• Did not participate in the spring game
Junior (2016)
• Earned honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic honors
• Played in nine games with six starts and was fourth on the team with a career-high 58 tackles while leading the squad also with career bests in interceptions (2), interception return yards (72) and fumble recoveries (2)
• Also involved in a team-high four turnovers
• Ranked tied for eighth in the Pac-12 and tied for 30th nationally with two fumble recoveries while his 0.22 fumble recoveries per game were seventh in the conference and both his 6.4 tackles per game and 0.2 interceptions ranked 15th in the league
• Also had a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss (career-high five yards) and his first career pass breakup
• Led the team in tackles in back-to-back games with nine vs. Oregon and a season-high 11 at USC, adding the fourth interception of his career and his second of the season that he returned 27 yards against the Trojans
• Had eight tackles at Arizona State
• Picked up seven stops along with an interception that he returned for a career-long 45 yards vs. Texas, bringing the pick back to the Texas 24-yard line with 1:18 to go in the first half to set up a 23-yard touchdown pass from Davis Webb to Chad Hansen two players later to give Cal a 35-33 lead with 0:55 remaining before the break
• Had six tackles and a career-high-tying 1.0 tackles for loss (-1 yard) at Oregon State
• Recorded five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss (career-high-tying -2 yards) and his first career pass breakup vs. Utah
• Had four tackles in a trio of games in the first contests of the season vs. Hawai'i and at San Diego State, as well as his last of the campaign before suffering a season-ending injury vs. Washington
• Added fumble recoveries in the back-to-back games vs. Hawai'i and at San Jose State to open the season, while he also had a career-high-tying 1.0 tackles for loss for a career-high -2 yards against the Aztecs
• Had three tackles and one pass breakup for the winning Blue squad in the spring game while adding an interception of Max Gilliam on a failed two-point conversion
• Briefly moved back to quarterback and was one of five signal-callers battling for a starting position at the beginning of spring practices before returning to safety, adding the fourth in
Sophomore (2015)
• Played in 12 games with one start in his first collegiate season on defense after beginning his career as a quarterback during his 2014 freshman campaign and made 43 tackles while ranking tied for second on the team with two interceptions and adding one pass breakup
• Recorded a career-high 12 tackles in his lone start of the season in the regular-season finale vs. Arizona State
• Had six tackles at Texas
• Picked up five stops both at UCLA and at Oregon
• Had four tackles and one interception in both the first game of the season vs. Grambling State and the final game of the campaign in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Air Force, while adding his first career pass breakup against Grambling State
• Registered three tackles vs. Oregon State, as well as two vs. Washington State and one each at Utah and vs. USC
• Also punted a career-high-tying once for 21 yards on a quick kick at Oregon
• A second-team Pac-12 All-Academic selection
• Spent nearly all of spring practices playing a starting safety position and “surpassed everybody’s expectations” according to head coach Sonny Dykes
• Played safety in the spring game but did record any official stats although he did pick off Chase Forrest during 7-on-7 work
Freshman (2014)
• Played in 11 games off the bench as the team’s No. 2 quarterback with the only contest in which he did not see action vs. Washington and completed 12-of-21 passes (57.1%) for 166 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for a 126.40 passer efficiency rating
• Often used in running packages with 52 carries that was the second most on the club and was the team’s third-leading rusher with 207 yards on the ground
• Also third on the club with three rushing touchdowns and in total offense with his combined 373 yards of passing and rushing, as well as eighth in total touchdowns (3) and ninth in points (12)
• Added one reception for nine yards vs. Colorado for a total of 216 all-purpose yards, as well as one punt for 39 yards against BYU that was inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and one tackle vs. Stanford
• Registered career highs in several categories vs. Stanford with 12 rushes and 60 yards rushing that were the most by a Cal quarterback since Zach Maynard had 78 at Washington State in 2012 including a 17-yard run that is the longest of his career, as well as five completions and nine pass attempts for 49 yards that is the second-highest passing yardage total of his career but also threw a career-high two interceptions
• Played a huge role in a win at Northwestern in his first collegiate action, leading the team in both rushes (11) and yards rushing (48) while also completing 2-of-5 passes for 19 yards with one interception
• Both ran and threw for his first collegiate touchdown in the second game of the season against Sacramento State, rushing six times for 34 yards and scoring on a one-yard run while completing 3-of-4 passes for a career-high 84 yards including a career-long 60-yard completion to Darius Powe
• Scored a career-high two rushing touchdowns vs. Oregon including a 12-yard run on the first drive of the game that gave Cal an early 7-0 lead and finished with 10 rushes for 48 yards, while completing 1-of-2 passes for seven yards
• Threw a seven-yard touchdown pass on his only attempt vs. UCLA, while picking up eight yards rushing on two carries
• Also had rushing totals at Arizona (6-8), at USC (1-3), vs. Colorado (1-0), vs. BYU (1-(-1)) and at Oregon State (2-(-1))
• Among conference and national leaders in passing yards (No. 14 Pac-12, No. 125 NCAA), passing yards per game (15.1, No. 14 Pac-12, No. 125 NCAA) and completions per game (1.09, No. 14 Pac-12, No. 125 NCAA)
• Earned Cal’s Clint Evans Trophy for the most intense freshman competitor
Saguaro HS (Class of 2014)
• Earned honorable mention Parade All-American honors among his extensive recognition as a senior when he was also Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year, the 247Sports Division III Quarterback of the Year for Arizona, fifth in the “Mr. Football” National High School Player of the Year rankings, first-team All-State, Danny White Quarterback Award winner, ArizonaVarsity Big 30 selection and a team captain
• Set a national high school record for career completion percentage (496-689, 71.9%) and Arizona state career records for passing yards (9,645) and touchdown passes (132) while throwing only 13 interceptions
• Played on three state championship teams during his 2010 freshman, 2011 sophomore and 2013 senior campaigns, and was a member of the varsity squad for four seasons
• Scored 146 career points on 23 rushing touchdowns, one receiving TD and one two-point rushing conversion
• Also averaged 38.7 yards per punt on 26 career efforts with a long of 62 and a career-high 43.3 average as a 2012 junior
• Earned MaxPreps Overall Player of the Game eight times in his career and Offensive Player of the Game another three
• Added an additional 94 career all-purpose yards on two receptions for 44 yards and one kick return for 50, while picking up 16 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and one blocked field goal on defense
• Rushed for 2,715 career yards on 354 carries
• Shared game MVP honors with fellow teammate Vic Enwere at the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl following his senior season, throwing a 63-yard touchdown pass to Devan Stubblefield in a 41-7 West victory at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• Passed for Arizona state records of 61 touchdowns and 4,201 yards with just three interceptions and was 227-of-308 (73.7%) passing for a 151 quarterback rating as a senior, while also ranking third in the league in rushing with 1,235 yards and 10 scores as his team won a Division III state championship, a III Section III title with a 6-0 league record and finished the season ranked fourth in the state overall
• Had six 300-yard passing games and threw for at least one touchdown in every contest as a senior with his top game a 541-yard effort with a state career-high-tying nine touchdown passes against Desert Edge to earn Arizona 247Football Player of the Week honors on one of six occasions during his final prep season and nine times in his career
• Registered six 100-yard rushing games as a senior, including a season-high 151 yards against Washington while he rushed for a career-high three TDs against Higley
• Named the Arizona247Football Preseason Player of the Year and a first-team Division III All-State quarterback prior to his senior season, while being ranked No. 2 overall in the state and also listed on the quarterback watch list
• Named ArizonaVarsity.com Star of the Week four times as a senior
• Lined up as a punter out of pistol formation as a sophomore and did not allow a single yard to a punt return
• Completed 145-of-211 passes (68.7%) for 2,834 yards with 36 touchdowns against six interceptions as a junior, while adding 1,184 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground to lead the state with 4,045 total yards, with the addition of one reception for 27 yards and one touchdown and 50 kickoff return yards on a single attempt
• Added one tackle, one pass breakup, one blocked field goal and a 36.9 yards punt average for a team that was 8-4 overall and reached the second round of the Division III AIA playoffs as a junior, scoring 68 points on 11 TD’s and one conversion
• Listed as the No. 8 quarterback in Arizona going into his junior season and on preseason watch lists of top quarterbacks according to Rivals
• Completed 120-of-166 passes (72.3%) for 2,554 yards with 32 touchdowns against four interceptions as a sophomore for a 144 quarterback rating, while adding 282 yards and three scores on the ground on 52 rushes for a team that was 12-2 overall, 5-0 in III Section III to win the league title and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the state according to MaxPreps, while adding a 43.3 yards punting average
• Had a 2012 season-high of 327 passing yards (10-of-15) against Arcadia with a season-high-tying four TD throw (also four TD passes against Tempe and Cactus), a season-high 104 rushing yards and 333 total yards vs. Cactus (104 rush, 229 pass), and a season-high two rushing TD vs. Queen Creek
• Completed 4-of-4 passes for 52 yards and one touchdown as a freshman, while punting twice for a 38.0 average to contribute to a team that was 12-2 overall, won 4A Desert Sky section and AIA 4A Division I state titles and finished ranked No. 4 in the state overall
Recruiting Rankings (Class of 2014)
• A three-star recruit according to 247Sports, 247Sports Composite, ESPN, Rivals and Scout
• Among the nation’s top-ranked dual-threat quarterbacks by Rivals (No. 13), 247SportsComposite (No. 23), 247Sports (No. 29) and ESPN (No. 43)
• Listed at No. 49 nationally among all quarterbacks by Scout
• Also checked in on the 247Sports Composite list of the nation’s top players overall at No. 852
• Ranked among the top players overall in his region by ESPN (No. 240)
• Among the top players overall in Arizona according to Rivals (No. 9), 247Sports Composite (No. 18), 247Sports (No. 20) and ESPN (No. 28)
• Received a grade of 0.8472 from 247Sports Composite, while 247Sports had him at 84, ESPN at 72 and Rivals at 5.7
• Participated in the 2013 Elite 11 and The Opening at the Nike World Campus, where he was noted by Trent Dilfer as being one of the most improved quarterbacks after the first two days of the event and had an opportunity to speak with Aaron Rodgers
• Gave Cal an Elite 11 quarterback for the third recruiting class in a row and the fourth time in five years
• No. 25 overall on ArizonaVarsity’s 2013 spring Top 50 list
• Listed on Rivals Hot 11 for the Future Pro Five-Star Combine in March of 2012
• Was the No. 4 top performer and on the All-Surprise team at the Las Vegas NLA 7-on-7 event
• Listed as one of nine underrated prospects to watch nationally by Rivals in April of 2013
• Listed by Bleacher Report as the one high school recruit you need to know from Arizona
• An emerging prospect according to Scout in April 2013
Other
• Full name is Luke Thomas Rubenzer
• Born May 16, 1996
• Son of Dave and Peggy Rubenzer
• Major is business administration
Last Updated
November 29, 2017
