Future First Round Pick Named ACC Defensive Player of the Year
In this story:
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. He becomes the first Hurricane ever to win the conference’s top defensive award.
Bain’s conference honor continues an already decorated career for the Hurricanes. The true junior from Miami, Fla., burst onto the scene in 2023 when he was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, producing 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles as a true freshman.
In 2025, Bain again anchored Miami’s defensive front, closing the regular season with 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception across 12 starts. He opened the season with six tackles, a sack and an interception in the win over Notre Dame, added a season-high seven tackles against Florida, and finished the regular season with 1.5 sacks at Pittsburgh.
Bain played a central role in a Miami defense, which led the ACC and ranked among the nation’s top units in total defense (277.8 yards per game), rushing defense (86.8), scoring defense (13.8) and sacks (2.83).
Bain’s impact stretched far beyond raw numbers. He earned a 92.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest of any edge rusher in the FBS this season. His 88.4 rush-defense grade ranked fourth nationally, while his 91.9 pass-rush grade was 10th-best among all players. Bain also generated 57 total pressures, making him one of only 10 players in the country to produce 50 or more and ranking him fifth nationally in the category.
Across three seasons, Bain has totaled 104 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 34 games, establishing himself as one of the ACC’s most disruptive defenders.
A graduate of Miami Central High School, Bain arrived at Miami as one of the nation’s most highly regarded defensive prospects. He was a consensus four-star recruit, ranked as high as the No. 70 overall player nationally and listed among the top 10 defensive ends in the country by multiple recruiting sites.
Bain helped lead Miami Central to four state championships, finished his high-school career with 77 sacks, and won the 2022 Nat Moore Trophy as South Florida’s top player.
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
2025 College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Ohio State, 12-0
2. Indiana, 12-0
3. Georgia, 11-1
4. Texas Tech, 11-1
5. Oregon, 11-1
6. Ole Miss, 11-1
7. Texas A&M, 11-1
8. Oklahoma, 10-2
9. Alabama, 10-2
10. Notre Dame, 10-2
11. BYU, 11-1
12. Miami (FL), 10-2
13. Texas, 9-3
14. Vanderbilt, 10-2
15. Utah, 10-2
16. Southern Cal, 9-3
17. Virginia, 10-2
18. Arizona, 9-3
19. Michigan, 9-3
20. Tulane, 10-2
21. Houston, 9-3
22. Georgia Tech, 9-3
23. Iowa, 8-4
24. North Texas, 11-1
25. James Madison, 11-1
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.
Read More Miami Hurricanes News:
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.