Draft Profile: Bio

Rueben Bain Jr. was a local legend at Miami Central High School where he accumulated a staggering 77 career sacks while leading his team to four consecutive state championships. The Nat Moore Trophy winner was impossible for college recruiters to ignore after his junior campaign where he racked up 60 tackles, 48.5 tackles for loss, and an absurd 29.5 sacks. Despite offers from virtually every blue-blood program including Alabama, Georgia, and LSU, Bain chose to stay home and attend the University of Miami.

Bain wasted no time announcing his arrival at the collegiate level, bursting onto the scene with a dominant freshman campaign that earned him ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023. He terrorized opposing backfields with 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks while cracking the starting lineup in just his third collegiate game. His signature performances came in back-to-back weeks against Clemson and Virginia, where he collected ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week and consecutive ACC Rookie of the Week honors while racking up 4.5 combined sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Expectations were sky-high entering his sophomore season, but disaster struck when Bain suffered a significant calf injury on just the fourth defensive snap in the season opener against Florida. The injury sidelined him for four critical games and clearly limited his explosiveness upon return, resulting in diminished production (23 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks in nine games). Despite playing at less than 100%, Bain still managed to earn All-ACC Honorable Mention and flashed the game-wrecking ability that had made him such a coveted prospect. Now fully healthy and trimmed down from his sophomore playing weight, Bain has positioned himself among the elite defensive prospects in college football heading into his junior season.