Recruiting 'Impact': Miami's Rueben Bain, Jr.
The Miami Hurricanes struck gold with the signing of 2023 recruit Rueben Bain, Jr. No matter how highly he was rated, there was no guarantee he’d immediately pay dividends for the Canes.
Then again, Bain already did.
Looking back at Bain’s first two games as a Hurricane, there were a few obvious things to note about his game. Here are three, of many, that needed to be discussed.
1) Bain’s power improved dramatically!
When Bain was playing for Miami (Fla.) Central, his loose hips and natural bend were often his conduit to the opposing quarterback. He bull rushed, sure. It was still about maneuvering around offensive tackles more than being a brute. Afterall, that’s what rush ends typically did and that will not likely change.
He was roughly 255-to-260 pounds during his senior year for the Rockets. During the moments after the Miami spring game, Bain told yours truly that he was up to 270 pounds. During a fall camp press conference, Mario Cristobal also mentioned that Bain was now not only up to 280 pounds, but also went from a 250-pound bench presser to around 400 pounds!
That was just since January when Bain officially enrolled at the University of Miami. So yes, Bain absolutely added power via the strength and conditioning program. It’s just how much Bain increased his power. That 150-pound bench press jump, wow!
Seeing it on the field, Bain still had to prove he could go head-up with players over 300 pounds at offensive tackle. That’s what he did versus Texas A&M.
Bain more than held his water versus the Aggies rushing attack, even when it was a traditional inside power run. Was it surprising? Perhaps a little bit. For those people that have watched Bain get better and better while being a focal point of opposing teams attempting to block him, not really.
That young man does not get out worked. Hats off to Bain for that.
2) How many 280-pound outside linebackers do see?
Even in the NFL, it’s not common for a 280-pound outside linebacker. Those guys have placed their hands on the ground. Bain, meanwhile, moved back and forth between a true defensive end spot and playing outside linebacker with Lance Guidry’s defensive scheme.
For anyone else that noticed Bain doing that, you might have been skeptical. After seeing Bain move in space, the concern moved on.
Look, he’s proven to just be an anomaly. Hard to pinpoint what exactly happened to allow a young man that moves like Bain – despite his mass – when he defended players in the flat and on the edge that were much smaller than him.
3) Bain’s maturity has shown throughout the first two games.
Did he make mental errors? Of course he did. Did Bain dominate? Nope. As a point of reference, Bain has been credited with one tackle. He could have closed better on a couple of plays that would have allowed him to pad his stats and make more plays. That's been part of the learning process.
That’s also been a part of being a true freshman. Bain still did his job far more often than not, i.e. containment on the edge and pressuring the opposing signal caller.
For instance, with the obvious injury to Akheem Mesidor during the second half of the A&M game, Bain’s reps went up. Same body language, same consistent football player, that was around the football and playing hard.
That’s all that defensive line coach Jason Taylor and the Canes coaching staff could have asked Bain to do. He was harassing A&M's quarterback Conner Weigman, while also helping Miami keep the Aggies to 97 rushing yards for the game.
One could even argue that Bain’s maturity was a major reason why points one and two took place. He’s been a rare young man mentally, just as much, if not more, than he’s proven to be physically.
Overall, Bain was a big-time recruit for a reason and he’s continued to improve after reaching Coral Gables. A lot more will be expected for this young man. Miami has also already seen the just rewards for winning his recruitment.
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.