The latest on elite Miami Central D-lineman Rueben Bain’s plans as signing day approaches
Rueben Bain always knew this moment was coming, he just didn’t know it was going to be so hard.
The elite defensive lineman is less than three weeks away from signing a national letter of intent and it’s an exciting time, he said.
It is also, he readily adds, stressful, hectic and just about any other adjective anyone might imagine.
“All of the above,” he said after recording his 27th sack of the season to help Miami Central beat St. Petersburg Lakewood, 39-21, in a Class 2M semifinal in Miami.
It’s a good sort of challenging, though. Bain boasts more than two dozen scholarship offers, and has a top four of Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference suitors, and Central is just one win away from winning a fourth straight state title and, as the No. 3 team in MaxPreps’ national rankings, perhaps even a a national championship.
There’s a lot on Bain’s plate and not much time to sort through it all, and he still has not come to a final decision as the Miami Hurricanes, Florida State Seminoles, Louisville Cardinals and Auburn Tigers all push for his services.
“I’ve got to balance some stuff up; tell some schools, No; tell some schools, Yes,” the 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior said. “It’s something I didn’t imagine—well, I imagined it, I knew it was coming, I didn’t never think it was going to be so hard.”
Here’s what he does know:
▪ Miami, Florida State, Louisville and Auburn are all still alive, but the Tigers are in a tricky spot with their recent coaching change and, although he can now take another visit to Auburn, he acknowledges it’ll be difficult to get back up to Alabama before the early signing period begins Dec. 21.
▪ As of Friday, he planed to take another visit up to Kentucky next weekend, visiting the Cardinals during the bye week before the Rockets face No. 10 Plantation American Heritage in the 2M championship Dec. 16 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale — although coach Scott Satterfield’s stunning departure from Louisville for the Cincinnati Bearcats on Monday certainly could complicate it.
▪ He also still plans to squeeze in one more visit, either to Coral Gables or Tallahassee, after the title game and right before a dead period begins Dec. 19.
Bain will sign early and early enroll after he plays in the Under Armour All-America Game next month. Decision time is almost here.
“It came by fast,” said Bain, who’s the No. 85 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2023. “Everything flew by, but I’m ready for the process, ready for the moment to be playing on a big stage.”
Right now, all the trends point to Bain staying home at Miami, although it’s not a foregone conclusion. The Hurricanes have always had a slew of structural advantages — older brother Reggie Bain is a graduate assistant, Roland Smith is the director of high school relations after coaching Bain at Central for the last three year years and Miami, simply put, always tends to do very well at recruiting Rockets — and now the 247 Crystal Ball is is filled with predictions unanimously pegging Bain to the Hurricanes after the Tigers briefly popped up as a very real contender.
The consensus around Central also suggests Miami is the favorite, even though a decision has not yet been made. The fundamentals all point to the Hurricanes, especially if they get him back on campus right before the early signing period.
Last week, defensive ends coach Rod Wright and linebackers coach Charlie Strong both headed out to Traz Powell Stadium to watch the four-star defensive lineman get back to a state title game. Although Louisville also sent multiple coaches to the playoff game, no one is recruiting Bain harder than Miami and coach Mario Cristobal knows he can’t afford to let a player like Bain leave South Florida.
“I’m just taking the process day by day,” Bain said, “and just trying to do what’s best for me.”
