Rueben Bain, Jr. wins ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award

Rueben Bain, Jr. has had a tremendous season in 2025 for the Miami Hurricanes, and on Wednesday, he got his proper credit from the ACC.

Bain was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year by the conference.

If there was any casual football fan out there that didn’t know much about Bain, well, they did quickly in the Canes’ season opener against Notre Dame – A GAME IN WHICH THE HURRICANES BEAT THE IRISH 27-24, BY THE WAY. Bain and the rest of the defensive line was unblockable and harassed the Irish backfield all day, sacking CJ Carr on the game’s final play to preserve the win.

Bain’s level of play remained strong throughout the season. He has totaled 57 pressures per Pro Football Focus, which leads second place Akheem Mesidor by 13, to go with 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Oh, and he had a slightly important interception in that, y’know, Miami win over Notre Dame.

We’ve very likely been enjoying watching Bain play in his final season with Miami, as he’s been projected as a top 10 pick by many outlets in April’s 2026 NFL Draft. I really, really hope last Saturday in Pittsburgh wasn’t the last time we’ll see him play in orange and green. I hope there’s a playoff game on the road somewhere where we’ll see him take the field at least one more time.

But if not, if that was it last Saturday, it was the cap to a terrific season and a great career in Coral Gables for Hurricane Bain, the Destroyer of Worlds (to quote our Cam Underwood).

Congrats, Rueben!