Mario Cristobal calls Rueben Bain Jr. a 'complete monster'

Rueben Bain Jr. was one of the top recruits in the Miami Hurricanes‘ 2023 recruiting class. Since arriving on campus, he has shown his Hurricanes teammates what made him a top 100-recruit in On3’s industry recruiting rankings. And his head coach, Mario Cristobal, has taken notice too.

During the Hurricanes’ fall camp, the Miami headman recently talked about some of the young incoming talent on the roster. When it came to Bain, Cristobal couldn’t help but gush over his young defensive line talent.

“He’s a complete monster; he is. He came in, (and) he was banged up; he throws his body around when he plays football. I mean tremendous player, competitor. It’s what you want at Miami, all day. Rueben Bain all day,” said Cristobal.

“Rueben Bain was benching about 250-275 and weighing about 260. He’s now weighing 280-285 pounds, and he’s benching 400 plus pounds. Explosive, fast, so smart. He’s a one-time correction guy. If you correct it, he’s on to the next play and doing it the right way. He holds himself accountable. He’s a natural leader. Just got a super bright future. But he also has a super bright present moment; he’s gonna be an impactful player for us this year.”

Bain, who ranked No. 57 nationally and eighth among defensive line recruits in the 2023 class, has wowed the Hurricanes coaching staff during the fall. And all of his hard work and dedication will pay off much sooner than later. Given Cristobal’s statement above, despite being a true freshman, Bain will likely receive ample playing time in 2023, establishing himself on the Hurricanes’ defensive line now and for seasons to come.

Tyler Van Dyke sees Miami offense becoming more consistent

On Wednesday, Tyler Van Dyke spoke about the increased level of consistency the Hurricanes are displaying during fall camp on the offensive side of the ball and how it has come about. One of the issues that plagued Miami was a lack of consistency on both sides of the football. But it appears that those troubles might be a thing of the past, according to Van Dyke.

“Yeah, I’d say we’re more consistent. Doing a great job executing,” said Van Dyke. “O-line last good, receivers look good. Running backs run the ball really well. So yeah, I mean, we just gotta continue to do it; continue to get better each day (and) attack each day with a positive mindset.”

Van Dyke played just nine games last season as he battled with injuries and finished with 1,835 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions in head coach Cristobal’s inaugural season. His injury woes played a hand in Miami’s ability to be consistent. Still, consistency has not been common for Miami while Van Dyke has been on campus. As many years as he’s been there, three, he has had different offensive coordinators, so the lack of consistency does not fall solely on the players. However, according to Van Dyke’s assessment, consistent play is an area where the Hurricanes are seeing progress at in fall camp. And that is a big step in the right direction for 2023.