Injuries Postpones Rueben Bain's Breakout Season
CORAL GABLES, Fl - Yes, the Miami Hurricanes defense was awful this year and most of that attention gets put on the secondary. However, there was not a lot of talk about the revamped defensive line which was supposed to be better than what it was the previous year before.
One of the key players scheduled to have their breakout season was Rueben Bain Jr. but four snaps into the season, he injured his calf and halted his chance to become one of the best defensive edge rushers in the country.
During his freshman year, Bain racked up many accolades during his impactful freshman season earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, being selected to All-ACC Third Team, being selected to every Freshman All-America Team, including The Athletic, 247Sports, ESPN, and others, finishing with 44 tackles,12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
It was a sophomore slump for the defensive lineman. He finished the season with 14 tackles and only 3.5 sacks in 8 games played. He was slower and less explosive than the previous year almost like he was rushed back because of the questionable secondary.
Now with his junior and likely final season approaching, the goal should be to get a defensive coordinator who can fully unlock the talented player. He has game-breaking ability, he just needs a voice in his ear to get it out of him.
