Evaluating New Miami commit Rueben Bain and projecting into the future
Rueben Bain’s coach shares inside look at what Miami’s landed with his commitment, including a comparison he’s heard from UM coaches … Inside Rueben Bain’s commitment to Miami and how it finally happened … Rueben Bain commits to the Miami Hurricanes
Miami may have landed a gem in four-star EDGE Rueben Bain.
Bain, the On3 Consensus’ No. 9 EDGE in the 2023 recruiting class, is planning on being a Cane after verbally committing to Miami over Florida State, Auburn, Alabama and others, and on tape he shows every reason why coaches have so aggressively pursued Bain this recruiting cycle.
He may be slightly undersized at his position at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, but his deceptive length allowed him to disrupt the passing game even when he wasn’t able to get to the passer. He holds the speed and agility to run down athletes in open space and the motor that effectively ensues he won’t give up on a play. But we’ll anxiously wait to find out what position Miami decides to play him at.
Bain largely played as a five technique as a defensive end at Miami Central and specialized at using his speed, natural strength and talent to blow by opposing linemen. His arsenal of pass rushing moves will undoubtedly increase at the college level as he develops, and he also stood up at times in obvious passing situations.
His acceleration allowed him to get around slower guards when stunted inside and his hands have been violent enough to keep him from getting locked up by offensive linemen, although he has at times relied heavily on his natural ability and the talent gap between him and the player he is facing — which won’t be nearly as wide or always in his favor at the next level at Miami.
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That being said, landing Bain is undoubtedly a win for Miami by steering him away from a rival like Florida State and given his various familial ties to the Canes. It also provides some badly-needed depth to a defensive line that only previously had three defensive linemen or EDGEs committed and was substantially understaffed. If Miami lands a fifth defensive lineman or EDGE (perhaps in the transfer portal?) and seals the deal with Texas A&M transfer Tunmise Adeleye, the Canes’ depth at defensive line in this year’s class will have a suddenly different feel to it.
Four-star EDGE Jayden Wayne is the No. 11 EDGE in this year’s class, and four-star EDGE Collins Acheampong (a flip from Michigan) is the No. 23 EDGE in the class. And three-star defensive lineman Joshua Horton (a flip from North Carolina) may be one of the most underrated linemen in the class.
CaneSport’s Take
You wanna talk about recruiting victories? Landing Bain is a freaking recruiting victory. Miami avoided disaster by losing Bain to another school – or, worst-case, a rival in Florida State – and gave its fans reasons to breathe easy. It’s also remarkably timed after Miami unexpectedly lost three-star center Connor Lew to Auburn and maintains Miami’s hopes of nailing a top-five class. The Canes can still finish with a top five class if five-star tackle Samson Okunlola commits and the Canes land four-star running back Mark Fletcher along with a few other uncommitted talents.
