Miami Star Malachi Toney Could Miss Saturday’s Notre Dame Game
Over the past two seasons Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney has been arguably the best receiver in college football not named Jeremiah Smith. But after playing in 24 straight games for the Hurricanes, he might be in line to miss his team’s biggest game of this season.
According to Brett McMurphy of On3, Toney rolled his ankle in practice on Wednesday after getting caught up in a play with a cornerback in practice. His status for the Notre Dame game in South Bend is “unknown” at this time.
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“Miami star wide receiver Malachi Toney’s status is uncertain for Saturday’s top-15 matchup at Notre Dame, sources tell On3’s Brett McMurphy. The second-year wideout rolled his ankle in practice on Wednesday. Sources said Toney got caught up in a play with a cornerback in practice. He’s undergoing further testing on Wednesday afternoon and is pushing to play Saturday at Notre Dame. He has not been ruled out yet,” Pete Nakos wrote.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald though, it’s not believed to be overly concerning. Jackson reported that a Miami coach is “hopeful” that Toney will be back in practice on Thursday and ready to play by Saturday and that the injury is not serious or a long-term issue.
“I was giving UM more time to respond to my tip earlier, but they decided not to, which I understand. Someone at UM practice said earlier today that Toney was “banged up” with the ankle injury but it’s not serious. A UM coach has told friends that he’s hopeful Malachi will be back tomorrow and play Saturday. Injury is not serious/longterm,” Jackson wrote.
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Malachi Toney and the Hurricanes
Toney’s absence would be a crushing blow to the Miami Hurricanes as he is not only the top target of quarterback Darian Mensah by a wide margin, but the top receiver in the ACC right now. His 73 receptions for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns all lead the conference.
That’s a lot of production to be missing for Miami’s biggest game of the year. Despite their position as the No. 1 team in the country, Saturday’s game will be their first of the year against a team that was ranked when they played them. And after close calls in two out of their last three ACC games, the margin for error against Notre Dame is effectively non-existent.
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With or without Toney, this game will be a challenge for Miami.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Nov 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
