{"id":439676,"date":"2026-01-30T22:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/439676\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T22:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:31:07","slug":"mark-ingram-names-malachi-toney-his-early-heisman-pick-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/439676\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Ingram names Malachi Toney his early Heisman pick for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram<\/a> is already planting his flag for the 2026 season and which player will stand above the rest. His choice comes from South Florida, and it\u2019s an electrifying one.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the latest episode of The Triple Option<\/a>, Ingram named Miami<\/a> star Malachi Toney<\/a> as his way-too-early pick to win the Heisman Trophy. In doing so, he cited the freshman phenom\u2019s versatility and production during the Hurricanes\u2019s run to the College Football Playoff<\/a> National Championship Game.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy way-too-early Heisman pick? I\u2019m going with your boy,\u201d Ingram stated<\/a>. \u201cFresh on my mind from the National Championship Game and the playoff run \u2014 Malachi Toney. I think he\u2019s going to be the next Heisman brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alas, it\u2019s easy to see why Ingram is leaning this way, even if it\u2019s bold not to pick a quarterback at this point. Toney wasted no time establishing himself as one of the most dynamic players in college football during his freshman season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Miami\u2019s top offensive weapon, the wide receiver finished the year with 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the ACC in all three categories. His 109 catches set an ACC freshman record, while his receiving yardage total marked the most ever by a freshman in program history.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Ingram was especially impressed by Toney\u2019s all-around impact, highlighting his physicality, athleticism and versatility. Those are the traits that separate him from typical wide receiver Heisman candidates in Ingram\u2019s view.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe goes up and blocks linebackers. He blocks safeties,\u201d Ingram added. \u201cHe got skills, and he got the wheels too. He returns punts. He could throw the ball. I\u2019m talking about a jack-of-all-trades, a real-deal baller.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in Miami\u2019s 27-21 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers<\/a> in the national title game, Toney delivered a standout performance. He hauled in 10 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown on college football\u2019s biggest stage. The showing only reinforced his reputation as a player who rises in marquee moments.<\/p>\n

Ingram also noted the betting angle, calling Toney a high-upside value play in early Heisman odds: \u201cI think his odds are like +2700,\u201d Ingram explained. \u201cI like that as a big-time value pick. He\u2019s just a baller. He\u2019s a shot-caller.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Miami expected to reload offensively and Toney poised for an even larger role as a sophomore, Ingram believes the Hurricanes star has all the ingredients. From production to personality and versatility, he can become college football\u2019s next Heisman superstar.<\/p>\n

Time will tell if that comes to fruition. Regardless, Ingram is locking it in, staking his claim as a believer in Toney\u2019s potential as the dust settles on the 2025 season and we look ahead to 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is already planting his flag for the 2026 season and which player…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439677,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,170457,129649,398,396,397,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-439676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-malachi-toney-25-american-heritage","10":"tag-mark-ingram-08-southwestern-commencement-academy","11":"tag-ncaa","12":"tag-ncaa-football","13":"tag-ncaafootball","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}