CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Two days after he helped Miami make history by winning its first game in the College Football Playoff, Rueben Bain Jr. took a break from game prep and film study to do something a bit different.

On that particular Monday afternoon, the All-American defensive end played Santa Claus, handing out bikes, toys, games and snacks to children at the Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall Social-Economic Institute in Miami’s Brownsville neighborhood.

As part of his Hurricane Bain Foundation’s inaugural Christmas toy drive, Bain posed for pictures, signed autographs and did his part to ensure countless South Florida youngsters had a happy holiday.

And the Miami native wouldn’t have had it any other way.

For Bain, giving back to the community he calls home, the community that helped bring him to this point in his career, is an utmost priority.

“It was amazing for it to be my first one. It looked like it was my third or fourth. There were so many people,” said Bain, who earlier in December also personally delivered a donation to his old elementary school in Miami.  “It was a great turnout, a great outcome. … All the kids came through, and everybody got a toy. As everyone got one, more people came and got more and more. They were able to come around two, three times and get toys. We gave out a lot of toys, a lot of smiles. For me, it was just a good day. Everybody enjoyed their time, I think, and I’m happy to have it.”

Bain, a former standout at Miami Central High School, is one of several Hurricanes standouts who hail from South Florida and have been an integral part of both Miami’s first 11-win season since 2003, and the Hurricanes’ run through the College Football Playoff.

In Miami’s 10-3 win over Texas A&M in the Hurricanes’ CFP opener, Bain – the ACC Defensive Player of the Year – blocked a field goal and notched four tackles for loss, including three sacks.

Running back Mark Fletcher Jr., a former standout at American Heritage who hails from Fort Lauderdale, had a career-high rushing 172 rushing yards against the Aggies and leads the Hurricanes with 857 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.

Meanwhile, his former high school teammate – wide receiver Malachi Toney – has been a force for the Hurricanes all season long.

A freshman from Liberty City, Toney scored Miami’s lone touchdown against the Aggies. On the year, he’s totaled a team-high 922 receiving yards and a team-high 1,359 all-purpose yards. He was named the ACC Rookie of the Year earlier this month.

Fellow freshman Bryce Fitzgerald, a safety out of Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, helped clinch the Hurricanes’ win at A&M with an interception in the end zone during the Aggies’ final drive. It was his team-leading sixth interception of the season.

And linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, who won three state titles at Miami Central with Bain, had seven tackles against the Aggies and is among team leaders with 53 stops on the year.

For all of them – and the 25 other Hurricanes who call South Florida home – Miami’s three-year turnaround is extremely personal.

Bissainthe was on the roster in 2022 when the Hurricanes went 5-7. Bain and Fletcher joined the program not long after that season ended.

Today, they’re among the veterans who have helped lead Miami to a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup against defending national champion Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and they hope their journeys inspire a new generation of South Florida blue chip prospects to compete for their hometown program.

“Growing up, Miami Hurricanes football was the [program] to beat in the city of Miami. It’s what’s really important,” Bain said. “You can’t even drive around in Miami or Coral Gables without seeing a UM tag. So, this is what we all strive for, all this pride, all this support. It’s all we need. This is all we wanted and we all work every day to make this program be what it needs to be and what it is now.”

Added Fletcher, “This is what we came here to do. This is one of our goals. We always wanted to compete and we’re living in it right now and we’re just excited to keep it going.”

That’s not to say their decisions to come to Miami were made easily.

Even with his deep ties to Miami, where his cousin Tolbert Bain once played, Bain considered playing elsewhere. Fletcher briefly committed to Ohio State of all places.

But ultimately, the lure of playing for the team they’d cheered as children proved too much to pass up, especially with family members, friends and even the people they’d meet out in the community encouraging them to stay home.

“Man, this has meant a lot to me because my family gets to come and see me play ball. They don’t have to fly out anywhere or anything like that,” Bissainthe said. “My family is close. I’m close to home. It’s just meant a lot to me, and it means a lot to put on for my city, just to have my city on my back and being able to get them W’s week in and week out, that means a lot.”

Said Bain, “This is super special because not only are we getting all fired up, the whole city is getting fired up. These are the people that we know, that we grew up with and they have a real connection to us. It means more when a guy from home stays home and he produces. It’s just different.”

And what Miami’s homegrown stars are doing is noticeable in the locker room.

Offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, who hails from American Samoan and proudly represents his culture on game day and beyond, can’t help but share in the joy of watching his teammates celebrate wins with their families and the community as a whole – especially since those teammates and that community have gone above and beyond to make him feel welcome in South Florida himself.

“These guys came in here and they wanted to do it for the city. They wanted to do it for home and that’s something I take to heart as well,” said Mauigoa, who, like Bain earned consensus All-American honors this year. “I know when I came here, I made this my home. So, with them being a byproduct of Miami, it means a lot to them and now, it means a lot to me and I’m willing to put everything on the line for them.”

There is, of course, one more Hurricane for whom this journey matters so much.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, a former standout at Christopher Columbus himself, was a two-time national champion offensive lineman for his hometown program.

And he made it clear when he returned to his alma mater four years ago that he’d do everything in his power to help the Hurricanes return to the pinnacle of college football.

He delivered that message when recruiting players like Bain, Fletcher, Fitzgerald and Toney.

Now that they’re on campus with Cristobal, they see his drive to push Miami forward in the way he coaches and teaches.

And there’s no doubt it’s motivated them all.

“It’s super personal for him. I mean, he told me he always wanted the chance to come back, but he didn’t get it [until] the right time and when it came at the right time, he’s been able to do what he’s done,” Bain said. “Now, Miami’s trending in the right direction. I mean, that man eats, sleeps, breathes Miami Hurricanes football, not even just football, but this program, this university. That’s what he does every day.”

Said Bissainthe, “When [Cristobal] came down, man, he made me fall in love with the school and what he was planning on building here. I’m glad I made that decision and I feel like it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. Now, I’m just maximizing the opportunity I have in front of me with my guys.”