Miami's pass rush has been the Hurricanes’ calling card all the way to the College Football Playoff national championship game, and one of the biggest names in program history is putting the spotlight on Rueben Bain Jr. heading into Monday night.
Calais Campbell, the longtime NFL defensive lineman and former Miami star, jumped into the pregame talk on X after a post made the rounds claiming Indiana is "one of the oldest teams in CFB history," with 47 players ages 22-25.
In the reply, Campbell wrote: "That’s okay bc Ruben Bain Jr will be beating 30 year olds next season in the NFL."
That’s okay bc Ruben Bain Jr will be beating 30 year olds next season in the NFL https://t.co/S4UiQWj1lD
— Calais Campbell (@CalaisCampbell) January 13, 2026
Miami faces Indiana in the CFP national championship game
No. 10 Miami will face No. 1 Indiana on Monday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
That Indiana age statistic has circulated widely this week. It's not an official release, and roster age isn't typically tracked in one standardized public database across college football, but the message is that Indiana has leaned on experience during a 15-0 run to the title game.
Campbell is no stranger to experience, so it is definitely notable that he is confident Bain will be able to produce. Campbell played at Miami from 2004-07 and is now headed into his 18th NFL season after re-signing with the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal. Campbell is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, with more than 110 career sacks.
Bain, meanwhile, is the type of defender that should go in the first round of the NFL Draft. Bain stands at 6-foot-3, weighs 275-pounds and has a season total of 8.5 sacks. Bain also earned AFCA first-team All-America honors and ACC Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
The Hoosiers have been powered by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who transferred from California and has Indiana playing for its first national title. Indiana just steamrolled Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl semifinal to get here.
If Miami is going to pull off one more upset, Bain living in the backfield is something that needs to happen. And Campbell is willing to trust that it will.