The Second Coming of Warren Sapp? Maybe?
3 min read
Ruben Bain Jr. via Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tori Richman
Many Similarities with the Legend
No, I’m not smoking anything. This comparison may have hit longtime Bucs fans right in the mouth. The parallels should be obvious to anyone who followed the college career of the longtime Apopka Blue Darter, Miami Hurricane, Tampa Bay Buccaneer Super Bowl champion, Ring of Honor inductee, NFL Hall of Fame member, and Oakland Raider — Warren Carlos Sapp.
Both Sapp and Bain Jr. share a similar build and height. Arm length was viewed as a potential weakness for both players. Each is exceptionally strong and attacks blockers as if they owe him money, using powerful hands inside to overpower and dominate. Both possess high motors. Both can play in a four-man front or line up on the edge. Both are highly effective at stopping the run and applying pressure to the quarterback. And both were beasts — legends — out of Coral Gables (The U). Each also played for a national title while at Miami.
And It Goes On
Sapp and Bain Jr. both won the Ted Hendricks Award. Both were first-team All-Americans. Each won his conference’s Player of the Year award. Bain Jr. also earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors. Both were semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, with Sapp ultimately winning it.
Sapp’s career numbers at The U: 19.5 total sacks, with 10.5 in a single season. He recorded 21 tackles for loss, with 9.0 in one season.
And On, and On
Rueben Bain Jr.’s career totals at The U: 20.5 sacks, with 20.5 in a single season. He registered 33.5 career tackles for loss, including 15.5 in a single season. It should be noted that Sapp accumulated his statistics from an interior defensive line position, while Bain Jr. produced his from the edge.
Finally
Both players were projected to be selected within the top five picks. For different reasons, both fell to a “happy to see it” Buccaneers franchise — Sapp to No. 12, Bain Jr. to No. 15. Each arrived at a Bucs team desperately in need of a defensive identity and a foundational presence to build around.
What It All Means
If Rueben Bain Jr. is not “that guy,” then none of this means a thing. All of the above becomes wasted effort and empty conjecture — a fool’s comparison. The idea of him being the second coming of Warren Sapp could become nothing more than a laughable footnote in Buccaneers history.
But what if Jason Licht got it right — the same way Rich McKay and Sam Wyche did in 1995? It’s even possible that Bain Jr. could surpass Sapp. That would be something to witness.
Impact players like these come around once in a blue moon. They are the type of players you build special memories around. They are not always the most obvious to identify or predict (see Devin White). Getting them into pewter, red, and black is the first step. Developing and refining them into a unicorn is the next.
Go Bucs.
