Rueben Bain made strong case for Jets in CFP National Championship

The 2025-2026 college football season came to a close on Monday night in exciting fashion as the Indiana Hoosiers took down the Miami Hurricanes 27-21. This win capped off a perfect 16-0 season for Indiana, headlined by head coach Curt Cignetti and quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

While it's easy to walk away from this game thinking about what could've been for the Jets if they had secured the number one overall pick and the right to draft Mendoza, plenty of options at number two have begun to separate themselves from the rest, including Rueben Bain Jr.

Bain has had a monster season for Miami, and despite the loss on Monday night, his strong play continued. The 21-year-old finished the game with eight total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three pressures, and two quarterback hurries.

The Jets will have plenty of different directions that they can go in with the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the performance that Bain had on Monday night, combined with his overall production, only makes the case for drafting him stronger.

Rueben Bain could be a perfect fit for the Jets

When examining the Jets' defense, one area that severely regressed during the 2025 season and needs improvement is the defensive end position. Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson both entered the season with high expectations, but similar to many others on the roster, their production went the wrong way.

As a team, New York finished with just 26 sacks on the season, which ranked 31st in the NFL and last in the AFC. The Jets also finished last in the NFL in quarterback hurries with 31 and pressures with just 87, the only team to finish below 90 on the season.

It's clear more juice is needed off the edges for this Jets defense that will feature a new voice as Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey continue to search for a new defensive coordinator.

New York will have plenty of top prospect options to choose from when they are on the clock second in April, but Bain's play continues to stick out amongst the rest, especially at his position.

Monday night was just the icing on the cake of a dominant junior season for Bain. The Miami pass rusher finished the season with 54 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 83 pressures, and a 22.9% pass rush win rate.

Bain also tallied a 92.4 Pro Football Focus pass rush grade and a 92.5 overall grade. The Miami natives' ability to not only get home to the quarterback but also remain stout against the run was on full display in 2025 as well.

Bain finished the season with a strong 86.7 run defense grade while adding 31 run stops to his resume. It's simple, he can be a legitimate three-down lineman at the NFL level.

Bain's ability to kick inside and play the interior is also something that would benefit the Jets. On passing down situations, New York can roll out a much stronger pass rush with Bain's versatility, allowing someone like Will McDonald to be on the field at the same time.

The Jets need a lot, and the reality is, not every hole on this roster is going to be filled this offseason. However, Rueben Bain would be a very good start for the Jets and a welcome addition in Florham Park.