Buccaneers draft Miami star Rueben Bain Jr.

Adam Lichtenstein, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Apr 23, 2026

Published in Football

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Rueben Bain Jr. pledged to be a Hurricane when Miami was coming off one of the worst seasons in recent program history.

He left the program on the doorstep of its sixth national championship.

After three seasons as a star on the Hurricanes’ defensive line, Bain is headed to the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him with the No. 15 pick in the first round of the draft on Thursday.

He was the second Miami Hurricane drafted, after offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa was picked at No. 10 by the New York Giants.

“I’m going to cry like a baby,” Bain said of this moment at UM’s Pro Day in March. “I already know because I’ve … put so much work into even just being in here, staying out after practice, being early on practice, getting everything done, making sure I could give my all to football because I know football gave it a all to me. I’m just ready for the moment.

Bain added: “(Because) this is literally my dream and everything I built and worked for these last 17 years of my life, just making sure football was a priority for me.”

Bain was a dominant defensive lineman in 2025, racking up 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and one interception. He starred during UM’s College Football Playoff run, helping the Hurricanes reach the national title game for the first time since the 2002 season. Bain was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Bain ended his Miami career with 121 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks.

“Everybody’s seen that I’m not just a guy that can put my hand in the dirt, but I can drop in coverage,” Bain said. “I can move around real fluid. No matter what my size is, I get it done. I’m just a football player.”

Despite his success on the field, Bain was nagged by pre-draft punditry about whether his short arm length made him a lesser pro prospect. Bain said he did not think NFL teams worried about his arm length.

“Nobody really cares,” Bain said at Miami’s Pro Day in March. “As long as you play with technique and violence, which I do, you’ll be all right.”

Bain’s defensive line coach, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, said Bain’s arm length did not matter.

“I don’t give a damn how long somebody’s arms are,” Taylor said. “Put on the tape.”

Bain’s story with the Hurricanes started at a nearby high school. Bain was a star at local powerhouse Miami Central High, but staying close to home was not a given. Despite having the nickname “Hurricane” and having family ties to UM, Bain strongly considered going north to rival Florida State.

“Florida State was one of my top schools. It was between them and Miami,” Bain said after committing in late 2022. “Miami just came home with the win. It was not what other schools didn’t do. It’s just what Miami did do. They put in the extra effort and the extra step in the process.”

Bain’s impact in Miami was felt immediately. He had an excellent freshman season, racking up 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Bain was limited by injuries in 2024, but he returned at full strength in 2025 and teamed with likely fellow first-round pick Akheem Mesidor to have a dominant season.

In the weeks before the draft, news of a previously unreported 2024 car crash where a passenger in the car Bain was driving died came to light. Bain was cited for careless driving at the time, but the charge was dropped.