When Miami and Florida State meet on the field, it often provides the perfect opportunity for players to make a name for themselves. In the Week 6 rivalry matchup, it was Hurricanes freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney.
After the game, Toney made his way to the Miami crowd section at Doak Campbell Stadium, signing autographs and taking selfies with fans — perhaps signaling he had arrived at star status. After all, nobody asks for autographs or pictures from nobodies.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck connected with Toney for touchdowns of 44 and 40 yards. Toney finished the night with seven catches for 107 yards, marking the first 100-yard game of his career. Beck has leaned on the freshman since Week 1 against Notre Dame, when Toney scored his first career touchdown.
On a national stage for the third time this season, in arguably the No. 3 Hurricanes’ biggest game so far, Toney was electric, slicing through FSU defenders to help put the game out of reach.
“Malachi Toney is him,” On3’s Andy Staples said.
“He might be the best freshman in college football this year,” Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger said.
“Tellin you man, Malachi Toney might be the most electric player in all of college football,” Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett said. “The true freshman continues to show up on the biggest stages.”
Malachi Toney Just Turned 18 Years Old
What’s truly scary about Malachi Toney is that he just turned 18 years old on September 17. Technically, he should be a senior in high school this season but chose to reclassify.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pounder hails from American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, right in Miami’s backyard. As a prospect, he was rated only a three-star by 247Sports, ranking No. 359 nationally, No. 49 among wide receivers, and No. 51 in Florida.
Despite his youth, Toney leads the Hurricanes in receptions and receiving yards. If not for fellow wideout C.J. Daniels finding the end zone twice against the No. 18 Seminoles, he would be tied for the team lead in touchdowns.
Through five games, Toney has 29 catches for 375 yards and three scores.
Are the Miami Hurricanes the Best Team In the Country?
For three quarters, Miami dominated the Seminoles, taking a 28-3 lead into the fourth. Florida State responded with 19 points, including a 19-play, 96-yard drive that drained more than five minutes off the clock. Ultimately, the Seminoles simply ran out of time.
Still, this was another convincing win for the nation’s No. 3 team. The Hurricanes have been climbing the AP poll since their preseason No. 10 ranking, knocking off ranked opponents along the way.
“Twenty-eight ranked teams have lost this season. Miami is responsible for a national-best three of those losses,” Fox Sports’ Chris Fallica said. “The Canes now have ranked wins over Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida State. Oklahoma and South Florida each have two ranked wins.”
The win over FSU further fueled the belief that Miami might be the best team in the country, perhaps overtaking current No. 1 Ohio State. But championships are still a long way off. At the very least, though, the Hurricanes are state champs, as head coach Mario Cristobal said.
“We care about one thing and one thing only — the University of Miami Hurricanes,” Cristobal said after the game. “We’re getting better each and every week. We’ve gotten better. We’ve got a long way to go. We’re 1-0 and we’re state champs. State champs!”
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