Florida State target defensive lineman Rueben Bain speaks after visit
Miami Central defensive lineman Rueben Bain was in town this weekend to participate in Florida State’s Elite Junior Day. As one of the best defensive linemen in the nation for the 2023 class, Bain has garnered a lot of attention for his versatility along the defensive line, as well as the monster season he just put up for the Florida 5A champs.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player that was as good as Rueben was in 2021. The All-American had 60 tackles, 48.5 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. Florida State has pegged Bain early on as a top player on their board. The fact they got him back on campus for this weekend’s first spring practice, as well as the big recruiting event, was important to the FSU coaches to stay competitive in Rueben’s recruitment.
“Today meant a lot cause I started out early in the morning at 8:30 am to get to meetings,” Bain said. “I got to see Florida State’s defensive line principles. How they run it, why they run it. That really stood out to me because not only did they say how they run it, but they told me why. They explained how I am going to succeed in it. Just meeting the players, seeing how they work hard in practice, giving it their all, especially the first day with everybody being competitive. Just exciting to be out there. You could see from the defensive line to the kickers. It really didn’t matter the position everyone was going out there to get it.”
READ MORE: Observations from Florida State's second spring practice
There’s a lot of familiarity with FSU and Miami Central. The Seminoles have been a program that has recruited the national power well. That relationship breeds a lot of familiarity for players like Reuben.
“They do the same drills I do at my school,” Bain explained. “Coach Haggins, if you did mess up, he didn't just yell at you. He explained what you did. Every coach is gonna yell at you, you’re gonna need that. He also explained why you did it wrong, and how you can do it the right way. Even if you did it the right way there may be a better way to do it. Seeing that, Coach is going to make me the best defensive lineman to the capability of my abilities.”
Bain spent a lot of his time with Coach Haggins while on campus Saturday. There’s a lot of versatility to Bain and that is what makes him an enticing recruit for FSU.
“I see myself as a guy that can move up and down the line,” Bain said. “Primarily I see myself as someone on the edge. But, if I got to get the job done anywhere on the line I’ll do it. Odell was happy that I took the time to come up and took the time out of my weekend you know. (He) showed appreciation that I came, you know we talked football stuff, about how I could fit in.”
The 4-star standout has been to FSU before. Getting a chance to watch practice was something that was big to him and it was something he enjoyed seeing.
“I did want to see the practice, I was looking forward to that,” Bain said. “All week really when I knew that I was coming up here I was looking forward to seeing how the defensive line was going to get after it.”
READ MORE: Observations from Florida State's first spring practice
Reuben isn’t sure when he’ll visit FSU again, and he isn’t sure of his upcoming visits. What he does know is that FSU will play a big factor in his recruitment.
“I feel great about FSU,” Bain said. “It's somewhere I can see myself. With it being an in-state school, P5 powerhouse, they’ve been doing it longer than anybody. FSU is going to be at the top.”
Miami, Alabama, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Florida, Penn State, and Auburn are schools Bain mentioned as schools he’s interested in and will get a visit.
