Miami Central star Rueben Bain keeps faith in Cristobal, but don’t expect commitment soon
Rueben Bain, as he almost always does, put on a show Friday in the Greater Miami Athletic Conference championship. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive lineman got in on three sacks, at one point literally picked up an opposing running back to stuff him at the line of scrimmage and then he capped off his performance by forcing a crucial intentional grounding in the red zone to preserve Miami Central’s 42-35 win against Columbus in Miami.
None of it was new for Bain, who set Central’s single-season sacks record last year and is trying to break it again this season. It was, however, yet another reminder of why he’s the most sought-after uncommitted player in South Florida, with the Miami Hurricanes, Alabama Crimson Tide and more all battling for his pledge.
A decision won’t be coming anytime soon, though. Even after he spent October touring the Southeastern United States and sorting through some of his top options, Bain said a commitment won’t come until the early signing period. With two official visits left to use and the Rockets trending toward a fourth straight state championship, Bain won’t be able to devote his full attention to recruiting until the second half of December.
“I’ll take my last two,” Bain said Friday, “but which ones? I don’t know.”
Bain took official visits with the Oklahoma Sooners, Auburn Tigers and Alabama in June, leaving him with three schools vying for the last two after he also put the Florida State Seminoles, Louisville Cardinals and Miami in his top six Oct. 12.
All three have hosted Bain for unofficial visits in the last six weeks, as did Auburn.
The Tigers kicked off his busy month by bringing him to Alabama on Oct. 1. Two weeks later, Florida State hosted him for a home game Oct. 15. Both visits drew similar responses.
“It was a great trip, great atmosphere,” Bain said of his trip to Auburn. “They ain’t come out with a W, but I still ... seen everything that I needed to see, from atmosphere, from the coaches, to the attitude with the players. I really got everything that I really was looking for.”
On his trip to Tallahassee, he added: “Great atmosphere, but they didn’t come out with the win. Just seeing the attitude of the players, seeing the fight in the players and the coaching staff — they really wanted to win. It ain’t happen, but they’re trying to do what it do.”
In between, Bain made the quick trip to Hard Rock Stadium to watch the Hurricanes lose to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Oct. 8.
At this point, Bain is the one local player Miami most wants to keep home. He’s the No. 90 overall prospect in the Class of 2023, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and one of the best shots the struggling Hurricanes have to make another elite addition in coach Mario Cristobal’s first full recruiting cycle. His school is a relatively reliable feeder to Miami, his former coach is now the Hurricanes’ director of high school relations and his older brother is a graduate assistant. Reginald Bain was even there at Traz Powell Stadium on Friday to watch Central play for the conference title.
The recent losses, the senior insists, haven’t hurt Miami’s standing, either.
“They’re doing what they have to do right now. It ain’t the prettiest, but it’s the first year and I understand that. They’re really just giving it their all,” Bain said. “I believe in Coach Cristobal. I know what he’s trying to do back at Miami. He’s trying to make the crib great again.”
Although he still won’t commit to using an official visit on the Hurricanes, Bain will be back in Miami Gardens at some point this fall to watch the Hurricanes play again.
He has a good feel for Cristobal’s program, both from watching games and practices, and hearing what’s going on behind the scenes from his brother and former Rockets coach Roland Smith.
He’s always on the lookout for the same thing when he watches a game in person, though.
“Attitude of the coaching staff, the defense, how they push their players,” he said, “and just really how they’re trying to develop me to the best I can be for game day.”
