Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) celebrates coming off the field after UM defeats Central Michigan Chippewas at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
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It doesn’t take much to describe Malachi Toney’s greatness.
“That kid,” quarterback Darian Mensah said, “he’s special.”
And he’s only getting better.
You thought Toney’s freshman season — a record-breaking one by Miami Hurricanes standards in which he set school records for receptions (109) and receiving yards (1,211) while also hauling in 10 touchdown catches — was impressive?
He’s on pace to shatter those lofty marks one month into his sophomore campaign.
As the No. 4 Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepare for their prime-time road game at the Clemson Tigers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC), Toney has 34 catches, 564 yards and six touchdowns through four games this season.
Pretty good, right?
“I’ve played good,” Toney said, “but I can play better.”
Wait… Better?
“I don’t foresee a time in his life where he’s not going to get better,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “That’s just his approach in a humble way. It’s all about humility with him. He just works at it. There’s no magic. There’s no secret sauce to it. He’s willing to do things that others won’t. So it shows up on game day.”
It’s showing up in the Hurricanes’ record books as well.
Want an understanding of just how good Toney has been, both this season and for his career to this point? Consider the following numbers:
▪ Toney’s 34 catches rank third nationally behind Baylor’s Gavin Freeman and Maryland’s Chris Durr Jr. with 35 apiece. His 564 receiving yards are also third behind Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith (617) and Oregon State’s Jesse Legree (585). And his six touchdown catches are tied for fourth, with Smith, Rutgers’ KJ Duff and Illinois’ Collin Dixon all having seven.
Projected over just the rest of the 12-game regular season, that has him on course for 102 catches, 1,692 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns before any additional games — be it the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game, College Football Playoffs or simply a bowl game — are factored in.
▪ Through 20 career games at Miami, Toney has 143 catches, 1,775 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns. He ranks tied for fifth-most career catches at UM (Xavier Restrepo has the school record at 200), 14th in career receiving yards (Restrepo has the record at 2,844) and 11th in career receiving touchdowns (Michael Irvin has the record at 26).
▪ He has zero drops on 178 career targets, according to ESPN Insights.
▪ Toney has seven games with at least 100 receiving yards and at least one touchdown, tied with Irvin, Restrepo and Wesley Carroll for the school record. His eight total games with at least 100 receiving yards are four shy of Restrepo’s school record of 12.
▪ Toney’s five games with 10-plus catches are already the school record.
“He just makes my job extremely easy as a quarterback,” Mensah said. “He’s almost like another quarterback on the field, just the way that he understands defense. So it just makes it that much easier as a quarterback. But I think it starts with after practice, throwing routes. He’s one of the first people in the building, last people out. He really is that. He lives that. So he’s just one of the hardest workers. And him and I have just collaborated on just trying to be great, and he truly is inspiring.”
But his game extends beyond the catches. He helps pave the way for the rest of the offense, as well. Pro Football Focus gives Toney a 73.6 run blocking grade this season. That’s the 17th-best mark nationally among 234 receivers and tops among 26 ACC receivers with at least as many run blocking snaps as Toney (64).
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for his blocking,” Cristobal said. “I think he not only is one of the best blockers on the team, he’s one of the best in college football. Period. He sticks his face in there, runs his feet through contact, hands inside, understands position leverage. Excellent blocker.”
If Toney has anything to say about it, he’s going to keep getting better.
“We depend on him to be Mali,” Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “We also know that other people are going to step up and make plays, too. The ball is going to find the people that are open, and people are going to focus on him. We know that. We have to do a good job of hiding him and moving him around, which we do. But he wears a jersey number, and people are going to look at it and know where he’s at.”
Have the Hurricanes considering changing Toney’s number to keep him hidden?
“Might change it every drive,” Dawson said with a laugh. “Change his height. Change his hair. Everything.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 11:37 AM.
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Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.
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