![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MIA_104UMHurricane04NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"Miami")
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Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) leads a drill, during a practice at the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Fl, on Tuesday August 04, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pedro Portal<\/p>\n
pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
He has broken school records. He\u2019s front and center on the cover of the latest edition of the NCAA college football video game. He\u2019s bombarded by children at every local event he does.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake about it: Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney, a former Plantation American Heritage standout and still only 19 years old, is already a bona fide celebrity and role model in South Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d Toney said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
But also make no mistake about this: Toney\u2019s not letting that status change how he goes about his day-to-day life. If anything, it\u2019s fueling him to get better.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I just know what it feels like to be at the bottom,\u201d Toney said.<\/p>\n
Toney has worked to get to this point, to put himself in this position. He has undeniable talent, for sure. But the work he puts in behind the scenes \u2014 striving for perfection in practice, knowing there\u2019s another level to his game that no matter what he accomplishes, understanding what it takes to be great \u2014 is what leads to the results that are showing up now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he glows on the field,\u201d safety and teammate Zechariah Poyser said of defending Toney in practice. \u201cYou know, they call him Baby Jesus for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
And after an ubersuccessful freshman season, one in which he set Hurricanes single-season records for catches (109) and receiving yards (1,211) while also hauling in 10 touchdowns, all eyes are going to be on him for an encore performance as a sophomore. Toney knows that. The Hurricanes know that.<\/p>\n
The message from Coral Gables: Bring on the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows that after the year he had last year that everybody is going to focus on him,\u201d offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. \u201cLife is going to get tougher. You are going to have to strain, and we are going to have to do some things offensively that hide you a little bit. None of us can just take last year for granted and expect good things to happen this year because of what happened last year. None of us look at it like that. We know we all have to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Toney: \u201cIt\u2019s really nothing crazy. Just play the game I\u2019ve been playing my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) speaks to reporters during UM’s football media day on campus at the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday, August 3, 2026. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Toney certainly isn\u2019t taking what he did last season for granted. In fact, he\u2019s using it as a bar that he wants to clear.<\/p>\n
His goals for 2026?<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything I did last year,\u201d Toney said, \u201cjust times 10.\u201d<\/p>\n
While taking that in the literal sense will be impossible \u2014 that would require Toney to have 1,090 catches, 12,110 receiving yards and 100 receiving touchdowns (not to mention 20 touchdown passes and 10 rushing touchdowns) \u2014 the sentiment epitomizes Toney.<\/p>\n
No expectations are too high for him to achieve. There\u2019s no ceiling to what he believes he can accomplish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel more prepared because I know what I\u2019m going into,\u201d Toney said. \u201cLast year, I was a freshman. At the beginning of camp, I didn\u2019t know what I was getting myself into going into the season. But now I know because I have experience from the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also has experience with the fanfare that comes with the limelight. He\u2019s now an idol for the younger players on the local fields in Miami-Dade and Broward that he was carving up not too long ago. They swarm him like paparazzi at every event he attends.<\/p>\n
Yet despite the elevated stature, Toney has remained the same, stoic Toney that he was throughout his first year with the Hurricanes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been Baby Jesus, so I can\u2019t say I have,\u201d Hurricanes defensive line coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor said of trying to imagine the attention Toney is receiving at such a young age. \u201cI thought it was cool just to be JT, but it\u2019s great for him. And there are people that probably get concerned about an 18- or 19-year-old kid being in that position and the notoriety and the fame. But he\u2019s the same guy every day. I mean, I don\u2019t coach him obviously, but he walks by my office almost every day and opens a door and comes in and gives me a hug, says good morning, and walks out. He\u2019s just the same dude. He\u2019s always here, always working. He\u2019s what you want. He\u2019s the standard. He\u2019s what you want as a young player. He\u2019ll continue to grow and get better, which is scary to think that as good as he is, he can continue to get better as we all can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added quarterback Darian Mensah: \u201cHe deserves it all too. Like he\u2019s one of the hardest-working dudes on this team. Humble. I told this to people before. You get a big-time receiver and usually they expect the ball, and then when they don\u2019t get the ball \u2014 I think he only had like a few targets [at practice] \u2014 usually they\u2019ll start complaining. He won\u2019t say a word. He\u2019ll just keep running his routes, continue to get open. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s the most special about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toney\u2019s advice to those kids who are looking up to him?<\/p>\n
\u201cStay the course,\u201d Toney said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the advice he\u2019s giving himself too as he looks to build on his instant collegiate success.<\/p>\n