Malachi Toney -- representative of Miami's cherished past -- changes Canes' present, raises bar for the future
The Miami freshman WR combines work ethic with athleticism as a throwback to days of 'The U'
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6 min read
Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney returned to the sideline, visibly devastated by the fumble that could have ended the Hurricanes season. The freshman, who had been a key to Miami's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, was greeted by teammate after teammate with words of encouragement.
Toney won the support of his coaches and teammates with a work ethic and an energy that far exceeded what's usually expected from a true freshman, especially one that reclassified to join the program early. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson reminded Toney how well Miami's defense had been playing against Texas A&M, holding the Aggies to just 3 points through three-and-a-half quarters, and advanced his attention to the upcoming drive that would provide another chance to have a direct impact on the game.
"He brings so much energy to the team," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of Toney. "[The players] trust him. They love him. They knew that there was going to be some more football to be played, and he was going to be a big part of the reason we were going to have a chance to pull out the game."
Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. was one of the many Miami players who rushed to Toney's support, telling the freshman to "look at all that time on the clock," as there were still seven minutes left in the game at the time. The defense did, as predicted, force a punt thanks to a pair of sacks from star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. Fletcher got Miami in scoring position with a 56-yard run to start and four more carries brought Toney's moment of redemption to fruition.
After pounding Texas A&M with runs up the middle with Fletcher, Shannon Dawson flipped the script on the Aggies unleashing Toney on the outside. When Toney hit the edge he released towards the end zone for the game-winning touchdown from 11 yards out, avenging his earlier fumble and validating the support from his teammates and coaches.
Toney joined the program from nearby American Heritage High School at 17 years old as a three-star recruit. So how does a player like that break through as one of the most important pieces of Miami's most successful team since 2003?
Tracking Toney's ascension in the context of this year's Miami team makes him a perfect bridge from Miami's most successful season in more than 20 years to readjusted expectations moving forward. Ultra athletic with a relentless work ethic, Toney is a throwback to those days of "The U" that fans were hoping to see when Mario Cristobal returned home to coach his alma mater.
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Connecting the past and the present
Mario Cristobal has been very clear about his words when it comes to phrases like "The U is Back" or trying to recapture glory days. He wants to have Miami competing for championships, like they did when he was an offensive lineman in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and utilizing some of the inspiration of how those teams worked in practice, Cristobal talks often about wanting to lead a Miami program that's moving forward into the future. One of the issues with society in general, the Miami coach has quipped, is too much focus on the past without an idea of how to take the best pieces of those memories to power a move into the future.
Growing up in Miami and playing for Columbus High School, Cristobal was able to have an intimate look at the Hurricanes program even before he was a player on campus. At the time, South Florida legend Michael Irvin was rounding out his college career with head coach Jimmy Johnson in an era of Miami football that has been forever inked as a legendary chapter in the sport's history. But what any of the stars of that era will tell you is that the real test of competition, and the moments of real growth, came not in games on Saturdays but in practice and training with and against each other.
"Mike is awesome," Cristobal said of Irvin. "I remember being in high school and coming over to practice at the University of Miami and going, man, I want to be part of those dawgs. Those guys were dawgs. I signed with them, and I'm like, holy crap, these guys are good, I'll never play here. That guy means so much to the program, to its fan base, to our community."
Of course, that good-on-good environment did end up benefiting Cristobal as a player as well, resulting in first team all-conference honors as a senior on the individual front and the opportunity to be a part of two national championship-winning teams in 1989 and 1991.
Throughout the spring, summer and into fall camp the buzz started to grow around Malachi Toney. The athleticism and game-breaking ability was obvious, but Miami has cycled through handfuls of gifted skill players in the two decades since the Hurricanes have been on a stage like this. What made Toney different was the way he handled his business, from preparation to practice and throughout the weeks of training leading up to his freshman season.
Veteran leaders Bain and Fletcher (also South Florida products) have helped build a culture that not only enforces a standard but rewards the players like Toney who are ready to do the small things at a high level. One fumble wasn't going to undo 11 months of work, and certainly not a season worth of high-level performance that included Toney being named CBS Sports Freshman of the Year, among other accolades.
"There's no flinch in these guys and the way that they train, the way that we train collectively as a group, the belief in each other is extremely strong," Cristobal said after the win in College Station. "We train and wire our team to be confident and aggressive in everything that we do."
Setting the standard for the future
Toney may have been a 17-year old under-recruited underclassmen at the start of the year, but he's heading into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Ohio State as one of the surging stars in the sport. He represents a true sea change for Miami football under Cristobal, raised by upperclassmen who have established a throwback culture and now he will set the tone for the highly-ranked recruits that will follow.
"Those guys playing," Cristobal said of Toney and the other freshmen like Bryce Fitzgerald, who had the game-sealing interception. "I think speaks loudly to their commitment to player development, the caliber of player that we're recruiting to the University of Miami, and a great sign of things to come."
Miami has signed 30 players to its 2026 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 10 by 247Sports. It includes five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell out of Missouri but also 14 players from the state of Florida, some who are blue-chip prospects but others like Toney who might have flown slightly below the radar in the recruiting process. Toney's emergence speaks to his own internal drive, certainly, but also the ability of Cristobal and his staff to evaluate and development talent in the program.
When that 2026 class arrives, they will join a program that has established in Toney and others both the opportunity to play early and also the high demands to get on the field. If you want to play, and succeed, like Toney has in 2026 you need to prepare and train the way he has to earn the respect and support of all his teammates and coaches. From Michael Irvin to Mario Cristobal to Mark Fletcher and now Malachi Toney, there is a standard for what Miami football is at its best. Fatigues on the plane or turnover chains are but ornaments that can fall with the slightest shake of adversity. The ability to bounce back and be resilient, thanks to a true grit that runs deep in the program's DNA, that is what "The U" is all about.
Malachi Toney hasn't just extended Miami's season with his game-winning touchdown against Texas A&M, he's helped raise the trajectory of Hurricanes football in the College Football Playoff era.
