Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 24 Rueben Bain
No. 50 Miami DT Thomas Gore … No. 49 Malik Curtis … No. 48 Kaleb Spencer … No. 47 Ahmad Moten … No. 46 Jaden Harris … No. 45 Logan Sagapolu … No. 44 Markeith Williams … No. 43 Frank Ladson … No. 42 Chris Graves … No. 41 Keontra Smith … No. 40 Robby Washington … No. 39 Emory Williams … No. 38 Jacurri Brown … No. 37 Brashard Smith … No. 36 Terry Roberts … No. 35 Samson Okunlola … No. 34 Dylan Joyce … No. 33 Jared Harrison-Hunte … No. 32 Jaleel Skinner … No. 31 Corey Flagg … No. 30 Ray Ray Joseph … No. 29 Don Chaney … No. 28 Anez Cooper … No. 27 Branson Deen … No. 26 Zion Nelson … No. 25 Isaiah Horton
CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 24, Rueben Bain.
NO. 24 MIAMI DL RUEBEN BAIN
Why he’s No. 24
If you want to sample true freshman DL Rueben Bain’s ability level, you can look at a high school career that netted him 77 sacks and the 2022 Nat Moore Trophy, awarded to South Florida’s top player. Or you can check out his scholarship offers from top programs around the nation including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida State, LSU, Michigan etc. etc. etc. Or maybe just check out his highlights from Miami’s Spring Game. Bain had three sacks and was oh-so-close to a fourth (note that quarterbacks were tagged down, not tackled, and the third and fourth quarters were played with a running clock). He beat starter Jalen Rivers on one of those, simply using leverage to bend around the outside and then speed his way to the QB. At 6-3 and now pushing past 270 pounds, Bain has the speed, size and strength to succeed at end or inside in passing situations. We anticipate Miami will not leave him on the sidelines this year and that he’ll have a sizable role.
What he needs to do to move up this list
Bain arrived at Miami in January as a highly touted 4-star prospect out of Miami Central High School. So he’s just a true freshman several months removed from a much different level. Bain needs to show he can beat older offensive linemen at the this level, and until he does that in games you just aren’t quite sure what you have. It’s unusual for a true freshman to have a huge impact on the defensive line, but perhaps Bain is that rare diamond who can use the ability he’s shown throughout high school and during spring ball to really get after the QB from Game 1 at Miami.
Realistic season objective
First we’ll let Mario Cristobal share this on Bain, from after the spring game: “He’s got a relentless motor, ton of pride,” Cristobal said. “He’s been coached really, really, really well. Over at his high school, they go hard. He’s used to this practice regimen, this structure and he’s extremely disruptive. He’s very, very tough. Does not shy away. It doesn’t matter if it’s a senior offensive lineman or a freshman that came in with him, the guy’s gonna get after somebody’s butt.” With that said, we see Bain pushing guys like Jahfari Harvey (who missed spring off injury), Nyjalik Kelly and other talented ends on the roster to start. Would we be shocked if it’s Bain as the Game 1 starter opposite Akheem Mesidor. Not necessarily. But Harvey and Kelly probably have the upper hand with Harvey very experienced and Kelly doing well in games as a freshman last year. Bain most likely will be in the two-deep and perhaps play most in passing situations. We can see him ending with a handful of sacks, which would be a really solid start to his Miami career.
The post Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 24 Rueben Bain appeared first on On3.
