Malachi Toney has 73 catches, the most of any Power 4 receiver, and 1,027 yards. Saturday, he won’t play. The Malachi Toney injury is a high ankle sprain, and the Miami receiver will have surgery and miss the showdown at Notre Dame, ESPN reports, citing sources. The nation’s top-ranked team now has to face the Irish without its best player.
The Malachi Toney injury: what happened
Toney got hurt in Wednesday’s practice. Miami confirmed an injury in a statement, saying he “sustained an injury during Wednesday’s practice and is currently undergoing further evaluation by the team’s medical staff.” That’s all the school has said on the record.
The surgery details come from anonymous sources. The AP’s source says the procedure is scheduled and he’ll miss multiple weeks. On3 reports the surgery is set for Thursday, after Toney got tangled up with a cornerback during a practice play.
How long Toney’s ankle surgery will keep him out
The timeline depends on who you ask. ESPN says the typical return for this injury is at least four weeks. Yahoo Sports reports a belief of four to six weeks. On3 is more cautious, calling him out indefinitely, with a late-season return as the best case.
Fox’s OutKick says the procedure is a so-called TightRope surgery, and that Miami hopes it gets him back for the College Football Playoff. The first round is roughly six weeks away. Still, the AP’s source says the real timeline won’t be clear until after surgery. In other words, a playoff return is a hope, not a promise.
Why this Miami receiver injury hurts so much
This isn’t a role player. Toney is a sophomore with 13 touchdowns on top of those 73 catches and 1,027 yards. He has topped 100 all-purpose yards in six of Miami’s eight games.
He accounts for 35% of Miami’s catches, 39% of its receiving yards and 46% of its receiving touchdowns. He’s also three touchdown catches shy of Michael Irvin’s school record of 26.
Miami still has firepower, as the Hurricanes lead the nation at 47.6 points per game. But the next men up in the slot, names like Daylyn Upshaw, Vandrevius Jacobs or true freshman Vance Spafford, have a huge gap to fill.
Here’s the thing: this is bigger than Notre Dame
Everyone is focused on Saturday, and that’s understandable. Notre Dame owns the nation’s top-ranked defense, and Miami was already viewed as an underdog in South Bend. Notre Dame also badly needs this one after missing the playoff last year, largely because of a Week 1 loss to Miami.
But the Malachi Toney injury likely runs through Miami’s home games against Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College. Those three games decide playoff seeding and the bye race, which is the real prize for the top team in the country. The selection committee just released its first rankings Tuesday night, and as Miami’s No. 1 ranking shows, the Hurricanes now carry a target. The committee has to weigh a top seed that may be missing a Heisman candidate.
If you follow Heisman odds, the market has already reacted. Toney sat fourth at +700 on DraftKings behind Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr. After the surgery news, CBS Sports says he came off the board entirely. It could hurt Mensah’s case too, since his passing numbers likely dip without his best target.
Meanwhile, the race behind Miami is wide open, as the rankings show. That makes every remaining Hurricanes game count.
What to watch while Toney is out for Notre Dame
Thursday brings the surgery itself. After that, listen for an official Miami update and any comments from coach Mario Cristobal that firm up the timeline. Check the ACC availability report before kickoff Saturday. Then watch the weekly playoff rankings, because Toney out for Notre Dame reshapes the whole picture.
Toney has also dealt with ankle trouble before, briefly leaving games against Wake Forest, Clemson and Florida State before returning.
The Hurricanes spent the season as the team nobody could stop. Now they have to prove they can win without the one guy nobody on their roster can replace.
