Elite Miami Central defensive lineman Rueben Bain takes patient approach with recruitment
With three official visits out of the way and two more left to use during the season, Rueben Bain isn’t rushing into any college decision, even as the Miami Hurricanes’ — with some help from their deep connections to Bain and Miami Central — remain in prime position to crack the elite defensive lineman’s top five and potentially win out in the end.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners all hosted him for official visits throughout June. The Hurricanes, Florida State Seminoles, Florida Gators are all still vying to get him on campus for official visits in the next few months. When he practiced Wednesday for Central, Bain had nearly every one of those schools represented in some fashion: He wore one Florida glove and one Oklahoma glove, and three wristbands with Miami, Alabama and Auburn logos on them.
“Official offers just came out, so I’ve been breaking down the top five,” said Bain, who’s the No. 97 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2023. “After that, it’s just really waiting on the season and looking at that, seeing how that goes, taking my last two OVs and, after everything is all said and done, I’ll have my decision, but I’m not too sure when.”
With a list of options like his and an unimpeachable resume, Bain can afford to wait until close to the early signing period in June
Last year, he broke Rocket records for sacks and tackles for loss — with 29 and 48 1/2, respectively — to earn the nod from the Miami Herald as the Miami-Dade County Co-Defensive Player of the Year for Classes 5A-Independent, alongside then-teammate Wesley Bissainthe, who’s now a linebacker for the Hurricanes. This year, he’ll try to go a perfect 4 for 4 at Central and win his fourth state championship in four years.
Bain’s production at one of South Florida’s premier programs — and, recently, a key pipeline school to Miami — has made the 6-foot-2, 250-pound lineman one of the Hurricanes’ highest priority targets for their 2023 recruiting class, going all the way back to his sophomore year, when he was in the midst of a second straight first-team all-county season.
It all makes Bain something of a can’t-miss recruit for Miami, especially since Reggie Bain, the lineman’s older brother, is now a graduate assistant for the Hurricanes and long-time Rockets coach Roland Smith is in his first year as Miami’s director of high school relations.
Right now, Bain said he’s doing his best to make sure those two don’t influence his decision too much.
“My brother stays out of it. Coach Smith—he kind of stays out of it, too, until I come to campus, then he’ll hype it up a little bit,” Bain said. “It’s a little odd. My people’s there, so you kind of feel like you have to go there, but, at the end of the day, I still think about I’ve got to do what’s best for me, so if that’s best for me I have no problem with doing it. If it’s not, you’ve got to go other ways.”
What’s best for him, Bain said, is finding a school with a scheme best suited for him — everyone, he said, is recruiting him as a defensive end, while also pitching him on his ability to kick inside to defensive tackle on a situational basis — and a school and city, “where if I wasn’t playing football I would still enjoy my time.”
A promise of playing time, he said, is not a major concern, “because I fee like just going there, if I do all the little details and I outwork people, I’ll end up getting some type of position in the rotation.”
He wants to see the season play out a little bit, too. Three of the teams in his top six — the Hurricanes, Gators and Oklahoma — have first-year coaches and he doesn’t want to get caught up too much in the offseason hype, which often accompanies a new coach’s arrival.
“Seeing some type of improvement is definitely important because it shows that the new staff that came in is about business,” Bain said, “that they’re coming in not just talking about it, but they’re actually being about it.”
At the same time, there have been moments when he was really caught up in the excitement around Miami and how could he not be? The Hurricanes have a top-10 recruiting class and Bain lives right in the heart of Miami, where coach Mario Cristobal’s wildly successful offseason has been one of the biggest topics of conversation throughout the summer.
Bain can be the crown jewel of the 2023 class locally and every forecast in the 247 Crystal Ball predicts he’ll stay home. He spends more time in Coral Gables as any 2023 recruit and the Hurricanes hope it’ll eventually translate into a commitment, but they’re not trying to rush him into a commitment.
“At times, yeah, I think about it and then I came back to my senses,” Bain said. “It’s a lot of hype, but you’ve got to weave through the hype and actually watch the football. What goes on the field is more important, not social media.”
