Rueben Bain Jr.'s dominant season is recognized with another award

The accolades continue coming in for Rueben Bain. The Hurricanes' dynamic pass rusher was already a consensus All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He'll also be a first-round pick and likely selected in the top 10 of the upcoming NFL Draft.

And now Bain is the recipient of the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the best defensive end in the country. This award has been in existence since 2002 and Bain is the first Hurricane to win it. Hendricks, of course, was one of the greatest defensive players in the history of Miami Hurricanes football.

Rueben Bain adds Ted Hendricks Award to his collection

Bain had a standout season for the Hurricanes with 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss, but that doesn't even begin to describe his impact on the Miami defense this season. He was the man that opposing offenses had to account for on nearly every snap because of his ability to get into backfields and set the tone for the game. When Bain didn't get sacks, he usually disrupted the play with his nation's-best 83 quarterback hurries.

Bain saved some of his best work in the 2025 season for the playoffs. Against Texas A&M, he was a wrecking machine with 2.5 sacks and a blocked field goal. He continued to set the tone with his pass rush in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State and had eight tackles in the CFP Championship Game against Indiana. 

For his career at Miami, Bain has been nothing short of dominant with 121 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks. He was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. Bain's resume stands up strong among the top defensive linemen to ever play for the Hurricanes with a group that includes players like Warren Sapp, Jerome Brown, Vince Wilfork and, of course, Hendricks. 

Hendricks, nicknamed 'The Mad Stork', was a three-time All-American at Miami in the late 1960s and went on to have a storied NFL career, being placed on All-Decade teams in the 1970s and 1980s. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.