What, you thought a legacy recruit with the nickname Hurricane was going to FSU? Lmaoooooooo be real
In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet a Miami legacy who is an über productive pass rusher and would be a take at nearly any school in America based upon his production and potential, not his name: Miami (FL) Central EDGE Rueben “Hurricane” Bain.
Bio
Though they have struggled to win games in recent years, the Miami Hurricanes have actually been very successful at developing elite EDGE players. In an effort to add another blue chip player to that group in the hopes of bolstering the recruiting class and roster moving forward, the Canes targeted Miami (FL) Central EDGE Rueben “Hurricane” Bain.
A legacy recruit with multiple connections to The U, Bain is one of the most productive and impressive HSFB players at his position in the country. He burst onto the scene in 2020 as a sophomore on Central’s team, playing in 6 games in the shortened 9 game season that ended with a second consecutive championship for the Rockets. For his performance during the season, Bain was named a 2nd team MaxPreps All-American. This would be the first of many accolades to his credit.
The younger brother of former FAU lineman Reggie Bain, who is currently on staff in a support role with the Canes’ football program and nephew of Canes 4-year starter and 1987 National Championship winning DB Tolbert Bain, Rueben has been connected to the Canes program since birth. Along the path of his recruitment, Bain has taken a known 12 unofficial visits to Coral Gables, so the connection is more than just his lineage.
Back on the field for his junior year, with offers being lobbed from powerhouse programs all over the country, Bain elevated his performance to truly elite levels. Bain finished the season with 60 tackles, an insane 48.5 TFL, with a ridiculous 29.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles for State Champion Miami Central. For his efforts, Bain was named a 1st team MaxPreps All-American, Miami Herald’s 5A Co-defensive player of the year, and 1st team All-State.
With numbers like that, it’s no surprise that elite programs from all over the country (and Florida State) were involved trying to get Bain on their team. Visits began, and even more offers came, but all along the way, even with a coaching change, Miami was near or at the top of Bain’s list.
Before and during his senior year, Bain took official visits to Oklahoma, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, and Miami. The first 3 visits came over the summer, but down the stretch, Miami and FSU were duking it out for the elite EDGE rusher. And for good reason: Bain continued his elite run of play.
As a senior, Bain ended the year with 52 tackles, 37 TFL, 29 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Insane numbers for a career, but those were Bain’s number for a single season. For his efforts, Bain was named the MaxPreps Florida Player of the Year for 2022. And, while we’re here, let’s just marvel at the fact that over his final 2 years in HS, Bain had a combined stat line of 112 tackles, 85.5 TFL, and 58.5 sacks. That. Is. INSANE.
While many were concerned about Bain taking visits to other schools, schools with big names and the pedigree to match, Miami was always in the driver’s seat in this recruitment. Immediately following his Official Visit to Florida State, Bain knew he’d seen enough. He called Miami coach Mario Cristobal on Sunday after his visit, a visit which had ended earlier that same day, to let the coach know he was coming to Miami. Bain made his announcement official on the following Tuesday evening.
And, I mean, THE MAN’S NICKNAME IS HURRICANE!!! WHERE DID YOU THINK HE WAS GONNA SIGN!??!!?!?!?!?!?
Recruiting Ranking
On the 247sports composite, Bain is a 4-star prospect, the #9 EDGE nationally, #14 in the State of Florida, and #70 player overall in this class.
Bain committed to Miami over named finalists (all schools he officially visited, by the way) Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, and Oklahoma from a strong list of 27 offers from around the country.
As A Player
I know I put them up top in this piece, but Bain’s numbers across his final 2 years of HS bear repeating: 112 tackles, 85.5 TFL, and 58.5 sacks. Like, come on, man. Entire teams didn’t have those TFL and sack numbers across 4 years, let alone 2. And Bain did all of that HIMSELF. So, uh, yeah. He’s productive. And, to go along with his production, Bain has been named a MaxPreps HSFB All-American 3 times, he’s the 2-time State of Florida Defensive Player of the Year, 2 (going on 3) times 1st team All-State, and 2-time 1st team All-Dade. Under Armour All-American. I mean, what’s eliter than elite? Whatever it is, Rueben Bain is on that list.
At 6’2” 250lbs, Bain is a bit shorter than you’d like for an EDGE in a perfect world. But, he’s well built and muscular, so his physical build is perfectly fine. Bain’s relative lack of height is pretty much the only thing keeping him from being a 5-star recruit. If he was 6’5” instead of 6’2”, he’d be a top 5 player overall in the country. He is every bit the superstar recruit his numbers indicate he is, and should be regarded as such.
Bain has found success rushing from the outside and inside of the line. Bain is a nightmare matchup for HS Guards, who are typically the lesser athletes along the line. Even with improved opposition at the college level, Bain should be able to feast rushing from the interior at the college level just like he did in HS. The thing that might hurt Bain is, again, average height and length, so bigger OTs might be able to get their hands on him and neutralize his rushes on the outside.
Bain’s first step off the edge is lethal. He’s incredibly quick out of his stance, and opposing linemen have a hard time even getting a hand on him. Bain has good bend as he rushes from the edge, and has a variety of moves to get the hands of his opponent off of him. This will need to be an area of continual development in the future, as noted above.
Miami Central’s defense is incredible, so Bain didn’t have to do everything by himself, but he was a very solid defender against the run. He sets the edge well, and is relentless in pursuit. And, I mean, the TFL numbers speak for themselves. Bain can routinely be seen shooting gaps and getting into the backfield, and has the strength and skill to get runners on the ground with ease.
Lastly, Bain is a winner. He just capped off his HS career with a 4th State Championship. A cumulative 46-6 record, capped off with a 14-0 season that could likely end with Miami Central winning the HSFB National Championship. 3-2 against rival Miami Northwestern. And all 6 losses in his HS career came to elite programs — Bishop Gorman (NV), St. John Bosco (CA), Miami Northwestern (2), Chaminade-Madonna, and St. Frances (MD). If you want to build a championship program, getting a player with the championship credentials of Bain is a necessity.
Here’s another eval of Bain by 247sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins:
A highly productive pass rusher that wins not only with technique, but also one of the best motors in the class of 2023. Not the biggest point-of-attack player, but it doesn’t matter because he shoots into the backfield with a game plan and is extremely effective at simply just putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Totaled an absurd 29.5 sacks as a junior down in Miami-Dade County. Followed that up with arguably the best performance of his young career as he racked up three sacks in a season-opening upset of the national powerhouse that is IMG Academy. Ability to plant, redirect and make stops outside of the hashes is extremely rare for someone his age as he’s quick to read and react. Has been deployed primarily as an edge player throughout much of his prep career, but has also gotten some looks on the inside and shown that he can make a difference in the middle with his heavy hands and overall physical demeanor. Lack of verified data points isn’t ideal, but no real reason to question his ability to make a difference at the Power Five level given what he has put on tape over the years. Will likely need some time to get adjusted to the speed and demands of big-time college football, but could carve out a role early on at the next level as a situational rusher before eventually setting in as a regular up front for the school of his choice. Tweener measurables won’t be for everyone, but the ability to consistently flush out pockets is extremely valuable in an era where everyone wants to air it out.
Strengths
- INCREDIBLE production
- Pass rushing, particularly from the interior of the line
- Championship pedigree
- Elite work ethic and hustle
Weaknesses
- Shorter than you’d like
- Average arm length
- A bit of a tweener between EDGE and DT
Miami Outlook
Plain and simple, Bain is a winner. You need players like this on your roster, because their experience with winning can be pervasive across the locker room. With his demonstrable skill and incredible production, Bain should find his way onto the field early in his college career.
The only thing that could hold Bain back is his tweener build. But, whether it’s outside on the edge or inside, he has the strength, quickness, and technique to be an impact player along the line for Miami over the course of his career. With a player as productive as Bain has been, the sky is the limit for his potential. It’s not insane to think All-ACC (or better) awards are in his future if he’s even half as productive at this level as he was in HS. Absent injury, Bain should be a foundational player for Miami’s defense and on the fast track to the NFL as well.
That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.