Miami Hurricanes DC Thinks Buccaneers' Rueben Bain Jr. Has Unlimited Potential

Everyone is raving about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' newest draft pick, and no one knows him better than his former college coaches.

Fox Sports' Greg Auman was able to have a conversation about new Buccaneers defensive superstar Rueben Bain Jr. with Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. Hetherman worked with Bain for two years while at Miami and gave some great insight into what to expect from him going forward into his rookie season with the Buccaneers.

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. is selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the number 15 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One sure thing is that Hetherman did not think that Bain would be available when the Buccaneers made their selection at pick 15, and he even thought that Bain's teammate, Akheem Mesidor, would be the selection the Bucs would make. He is not the first to think this, as many were shocked that Bain was available when he was.

"I almost thought Mesidor would be the guy in that spot," Hetherman said, per Auman. "As the draft goes on, people try to figure things out last minute, and you never know where guys are going to go. I'm excited for him. I think it's a great spot. I think he has unbelievable upside."

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) passes the ball under pressure by Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) in the third quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Hetherman also spoke about the physicality that Bain had on the football field while playing for Miami and his ability and desire to never take a play off.

"What he did here on a daily basis, how he attacked it every single day, how physical he played in practice, how hard he ran to the football, he practices like he's just trying to make the team. He sets the best example. It's why we were good on defense.

"He never wanted to come off the field. You watch those early games: Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, he didn't come off the field," Hetherman said. "We had to do a better job to give him a little break. Some of those teams, you're on the field 90 plays. That's unrealistic for how hard he plays."

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor (3) celebrates after a sack against the Indiana Hoosiers in the third quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami had the benefit of having two different edge rushers go in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft in Bain and Mesidor. Because of this, Bain was able to get a good amount of opportunities once teams could no longer chip and double-team him.

"Bain, early in the year, teams tried to chip him or slide to him, run the ball away from him, and having Mesidor on the other side, obviously, Mesidor had unbelievable stats and a really good year," Hetherman said. "Once they found out he was over there, then they could do that to Bain anymore, and that's where he really jumped off in the postseason."

Finally, Hetherman gave his insight into what Bain can do for the Buccaneers' defense in terms of whether he can line up as a standing-up outside linebacker or as a defensive lineman. Hetherman feels confident that he can do both.

"He's a three-down player. I believe he's going to have unbelievable positional versatility. Ole Miss, he wanted to rush the center. A&M, we put him on the guard a little bit," Hetherman said. "Looking at the draft, some of the (tackles) who got drafted, seeing some of the success he had against a lot of those guys in the postseason and the regular season, I just think he's a different player."

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