Rueben Bain becomes 3rd Miami football Player ACC Defensive ROY
Edge rusher Rueben Bain is the third Miami football player to earn ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bain is the first Miami player to earn ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as a true freshman since Sean Spence in 2008. Greg Rousseau won the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year from Miami as a Redshirt Freshman in 2019.
Bain has 37 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defended this season. Bain played in all 12 games this season with 10 starts. Prior to being named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year on Wednesday, Bain earned third-team all-conference on Tuesday.
Bain was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week and ACC Rookie of the Week with eight tackles and two sacks in the 28-20 double-overtime win over Clemson on October 21. A week later Bain earned his second Defensive Lineman of the Week Award with seven tackles, 2.5 TFLs and two sacks in a win versus Virginia.
Bain was one of only 11 players and the sole freshman to record multiple games with at least two sacks this season. Middle linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and Bain tied for the Miami football team lead in sacks. Bain also tied for the Miami lead with two forced fumbles. Bain was 16th in the ACC in TFLs and fourth in sacks.
Always will remember this day! Thank you @coach_cristobal https://t.co/8HkjWckHgf
— Rueben “Hurricane” Bain Jr. (@ruebenbainjr) November 29, 2023
Led by Bain, Miami tied for third in the ACC with Pittsburgh with 83 TFLs and was third in the conference with 35 sacks. Miami was second in the ACC allowing 83.0 rushing yards per game and first in the conference holding opponents to 3.17 yards per carry. Pro Football Focus graded Bain as the sixth-best Miami player in 2023.
Next. Ladson leaving Miami after 2 uneventful seasons. dark
Per David Lake of Inside the U via PFF Bain led Miami with 42 quarterback pressures and an 85.0 pass rushing grade. Bain received an overall PFF grade of 78.3 Bain had the most QB pressures of any true freshman according to PFF via Lake. Bain far exceeded his four-star grade as a 2023 signee.