The Impressive Return Of Rueben Bain Jr.
Since the opening drive of the 2024 Miami Hurricanes season, the 2023 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Rueben Bain Jr, had been out with a soft tissue injury.
There were conflicting reports from Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal regarding the timetable for Bain's return. One week he would say it is 100% and ready to go. Then watching pregame warmups, he would be on the sideline with no pads on watching and teaching the younger defensive lineman.
Now he is back and was an impactful player against the California Golden Bears. His return right before the bye week proves he is ready to go and will continue to aid a pass rush struggling in ACC competition.
Bain was too quick for #10 & too strong for #25 pic.twitter.com/gzdu7zvYuD
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) October 8, 2024
His stats did not pop out of the box score with only two tackles and 0.5 sack but on the field, you could tell he was a key focus for the Golden Bears offensive line. Bain is a different monster on the field. His speed and strength match no other and his ability to seek a quarterback and throw-off lineman is a rare trait.
He looked faster and stronger than last season. The Hurricanes will love to use him in these last two games having come down to key defensive stops in the second half. The Hurricanes have found themselves in trouble going into halftime with double-digit deficits and the defense decides to pitch shoutouts when adjustments need to be made.
Tackles can still be an issue for this defensive front but with Bain back, there is nothing he can't do that would clean up many of the mistakes that the Hurricanes might have moving forward.
