Miami linebacker Mohamed Toure plans to return for his eighth year in college football

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Mohamed Toure just completed his seventh season as a college football player, but he’s not ready for the NFL just yet.

Toure will return in 2026 for his eighth year in college football, something that would have been inconceivable a few years ago but is now just the logical extension of how the NCAA has come to operate.

Miami’s website mentions that Toure “Spent first six years of career (2019-2024) at Rutgers,” which for most of college football history would have been one year longer than any player was allowed to play, but in today’s NCAA was just a prelude for him to transfer Miami and keep playing a couple more years.

In 2019, Toure took a redshirt year as a freshman at Rutgers. At the time, that was commonplace and meant that he could play four more years and his eligibility would be used up after the 2023 season.

In 2020, Toure played at Rutgers, but the NCAA decided not to count that season toward any player’s eligibility because of the impact of the covid pandemic.

In 2021, Toure played for Rutgers. This was the first year that actually counted toward his eligibility.

In 2022, Toure missed the season with an injury. In the old days, the redshirt year he took in 2019 would have meant he couldn’t take another medical redshirt, but under the newer rules, the NCAA didn’t count 2022 toward his eligibility limit.

In 2023, Toure played for Rutgers. This previously would have been his final year of eligibility, but the NCAA now calls that only the second year that counted toward his eligibility.

In 2024, Toure again missed the season with an injury. The NCAA once again allowed that to be yet another medical redshirt year that didn’t count toward his eligibility.

In 2025, Toure transferred after six years at Rutgers to Miami, where he was a team captain who helped the Hurricanes get to the College Football National Championship Game.

In 2026, Toure will again play for Miami, in his eighth — and possibly final — year of college football.