EXCLUSIVE: Top-100 recruit Rueben Bain goes in-depth on Bryan Harsin firing, upcoming Auburn visit, preference for new coach

Top-100 recruit Rueben Bain on Saturday will return to Auburn for his fourth overall visit and second this season.

Bain, a four-star edge from nationally-ranked and undefeated Central High School in Miami, won’t be alone. Class of 2023 teammates Stanquan Clark, Lamar Seymore and Keyone Jenkins, as well as 2025 defensive back Amari Wallace, also will make the trip. Clark and Seymore both will be on official visit.

Bain is one of Auburn’s top overall targets. He’s been at or near the top of the Tigers’ recruiting board since early in the cycle. And the interest is mutual. Bain has had Auburn in his top group since an official visit in June.

Have things changed? Bain was a big fan of Bryan Harsin, who was fired at Auburn two weeks ago. Are the Tigers still heavily in contention? Does he have a preference for Harsin’s replacement?

Bain on Tuesday sat down with On3’s Joseph Hastings and went in-depth about his upcoming visit, his interest in Auburn, his relationships with Harsin and edge coach/area recruiter Roc Bellantoni and who he’d like to see as the Tigers’ new head coach.

Bain talks upcoming Auburn visit

Bain took an unofficial visit to Auburn for the Tigers’ loss to LSU. He’ll be back on Saturday for another SEC-West clash with Texas &M.

“I want to see the attitude, especially with the coaching staff after what happened last week,” Bain told Hastings. “I want to see how the players, the locker room and environment can bounce back. The atmosphere they have up there, I’ll get to experience it even more with my teammates. I want them to see the atmosphere for themselves and really enjoy their time up there and watch some good football.”

Bain admits that Auburn had some big momentum with him following the visit for the LSU game.

“1,000 percent,” he said. “It was a good atmosphere, good football. They didn’t come out with a win that game, but I saw the errors and mistakes how they could’ve won, plays being made and guys getting hurt. Their top-2 pass rushers got hurt. I still saw the defense make plays, the atmosphere, the guys and all the camaraderie, great football, great city … everything was just right.”

Bain expected Harsin firing

Saturday’s visit will be the first to Auburn without Harsin leading the program.

Bain wasn’t surprised Harsin was fired. He understands the business-side of football. Still, he didn’t want it to happen.

“It was crazy. I kind of knew it from doing my own research,” Bain said. “I didn’t want it to happen or want to believe it, but being a realist, I knew it was going to happen. I kind of expected it sooner just because all the rowdiness I was hearing. But it’s a business, the business side.

“At the end of the day people want to win. If that’s not happening, they’re going to try and find a solution to it. It’s sad that it happened, but I’m going to control what I can control, do the research on my end and find what’s best for me.”

Bain: Harsin ‘played a great role in my recruitment’

Bain said Harsin was a big factor in his recruitment.

“He played a great role in my recruitment,” Bain said. “Not only was he a great head coach, but he was a great worker in general. He always believed in hard work and was very militant. I saw him as someone who could push me to the next level and make me a better man not only on the field, but off the field. He is a hard-nosed coach and that was something that I was really looking for.

“He loved me as a player and as a person. It’s a sad thing that happened. Watching him leave, it’s like ‘damn, who’s going to be the next head coach? Are they going to feel the same way about me?.’ It’s a negative because that was a huge relationship (for me), but at the end of the day, I still have coaches like my position coach (Roc Bellantoni), so it’s not too big of a negative.”

Bellantoni Auburn’s biggest asset with 4-star edge

Bellantoni might be the biggest asset Auburn has working in its favor. The first-year Auburn assistant coached Bain’s brother at FAU. Bellantoni and Bain have a relationship that dates back several years.

“I’ve been knowing him since I was about 10 years old,” Bain said. “Every time I went to one of my brother’s college games and he saw me, he always told me that I was going to play for him one day. Now I have the chance to live out that in reality. It’s kind of cool when I think about it. Having Coach Roc there is a huge, huge help.”

It’s no guarantee, however, that Bellantoni will be retained by the new head coach.

“(The coaches there now) are still there and they’re going to do their job to the best of their abilities, and even take it up a notch since they don’t have the head man there,” Bain said. “They are controlling what they can control and have told me that nothing is guaranteed they will stay there.”

Personal preference for Auburn’s new head coach

Like with Bellantoni, Bain has history with at least one of Auburn’s viable coaching candidate.

It’s a head coach in Mississippi, but his last name isn’t Sanders.

“I really don’t see (Deion) Sanders leaving JSU,” Bain said. “He’s done a great job for an HBCU, so I feel like he’s going to stay there.

“If I had to name someone, it would be Lane Kiffin. He was (at FAU) for my brother in college. He already knows me. To be able to play for my brother’s coaches (Kiffin and Bellantoni), the same guys on staff, that would be a small-world kind of thing.”