TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The only thing that could slow Malachi Toney at Doak Campbell Stadium wasn’t Florida State’s defense. It was a handshake from a Miami legend.
The Hurricanes’ freshman receiver juked, he shook and he outran Florida State defenders on the way to a career night that also served as the dawn of a rising superstar. After the 28–22 win and the obligatory handshakes, Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin stopped Toney near midfield and embraced the phenom.
“One of the best freshmen I’ve ever seen,” Irvin told CBS Sports after dapping Toney. “One of the best freshmen we’ve ever seen. Ever. Not just (now). Ever.”
Irvin isn’t shy with hyperbole, but as one of Miami’s greatest receivers, he knows greatness when he sees it. Toney might just be the best player on the best team in the country, a Miami program that has defeated in-state rivals Florida and Florida State in back-to-back years for the first time since its generational run from 2001 through 2004.
The smoothest moves belonged to Toney, who stacked up 107 yards and two touchdowns on just seven catches — all before the fourth quarter. He made No. 18 FSU’s secondary look flat-footed, even when the Seminoles were in position to make a tackle.
A quick slant on fourth-and-2 led to a stutter step upfield after the catch, faking out a safety, which caused the defender to turn his back, allowing for a 40-yard touchdown. A juke on another catch drew gasps from the crowd. His best work didn’t count: an illegal motion wiped out a 52-yard catch-and-run capped by a shimmy and a dive at the left pylon along Miami’s sideline.
By the end of the third quarter, Toney had piled up 68 yards after the catch.
“If you watch Malachi on his (practice film) dailies, it wouldn’t surprise you,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “And I don’t like handing out praise, especially for young guys like that, but man, if everybody did what Malachi does, their performance levels would go through the roof. He is an early, early, early guy.”
On a Saturday in which three top-15 teams fell to unranked opponents — Penn State, Texas and Iowa State — Miami stayed upright and Toney soared. The Hurricanes built a 28-3 lead with an explosive passing offense led by quarterback Carson Beck, who threw for 193 of his 241 yards and all four touchdowns before the midpoint of the third quarter. Four completions eclipsed 40 yards, including two touchdown passes to Toney.
“He was on fire,” Cristobal said. “He did a great job.”
The No. 3 Hurricanes (5–0, 1–0 ACC) absorbed FSU’s 19-point fourth-quarter surge — plus two onside kicks — to reach a deceptive final score.
But don’t let it overshadow the emerging story of Toney, the latest in the long line of elite freshman receivers taking over the sport. Like Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Alabama’s Ryan Williams before him, Toney has carved out a spot among first-year greats.
More impressive? Toney shouldn’t even be in a college uniform this fall. The American Heritage alum out of South Florida graduated a year early, reclassified as a recruit and enrolled at Miami this past spring.
Toney’s youth shows when he’s not wearing a helmet and shoulder pads. He turned 18 years old on Sept. 17, and the braces on his upper teeth flash when he smiles.
“From the first time I met him, there’s just something different about the kid,” Beck said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but just the way he carries himself, who he is. He’s in the facility nonstop, 24/7.”
Toney says his work ethic comes from his mother, Toni Toney, who works at a post office.
“Watching my mom get up early for work,” he said. “If she can do it, why can’t I?”
Truth is, Miami knew this was coming back in April.
CBS Sports shadowed Cristobal during Miami’s spring game, when Toney’s speed and shiftiness easily garnered him MVP honors. After one big catch, Cristobal turned to this reporter and smiled. The smirk wasn’t a pleasantry. It was a warning.
“He’ll break every record here,” Miami executive director of football Dennis Smith whispered after a 20-yard touchdown catch in April.
Five months after Cristobal flashed that smile, he was asked for his thoughts on Toney’s performance against the Hurricanes’ chief rival.
The Miami coach volleyed the question back to the reporter.
“What are your thoughts on Malachi?”
“I think he’s the best freshman in the country,” this reporter said.
Cristobal nodded, acknowledging the declaration.
“I’m going to tell him that he has a long ways to go and he’s got to keep working, but I’m glad that he’s impressed you because I know you know your stuff really well.”
The noise will only increase if Miami and Toney continue on this trajectory. Miami has three ranked wins for the first time since 2009, and the toughest regular-season tests might already be behind them.
Then again, assume nothing. Every Saturday keeps reminding us that anything is possible. The preseason Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 6 — Texas, Penn State, Clemson and Notre Dame — are a combined 11-9 heading into Week 7.
“I don’t think you deny that you have something special going on. I just think you spend your time on assessing and analyzing the things you can get better at because whatever shows on film that you’re not good at, it’s going to get exposed,” Cristobal said. “I don’t know what the results of some of the games were today, but when we were headed out of the hotel, it seemed like everybody was about to get upset, because again, it’s playoff football now, it’s conference games, right?
“Everybody’s alive. Everybody knows your warts, your holes, your tics. If you refuse to believe that other teams have very good players and very good coaches, if you refuse to acknowledge that the holes that you have need to be fixed in order to keep getting better, you’re not going to last very long in this league and this profession.”
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As for Toney? He’s been consistent from Day 1. He was stellar in his debut in Week 1 against Notre Dame, leading the Hurricanes with six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. He has at least four catches in every game, up to 375 yards and three touchdowns near the season’s midpoint. It’s hard to stay anonymous when every catch lands on a highlight reel. Classmates now recognize him on campus, he said.
“To be honest, I really don’t feed into all that type of stuff,” he said. “I just want to stay humble and level-headed — never get too high, too low, just stay consistent.”
Toney may tune out the hype, but his mother has joined the chorus. Her postgame tweet: Rename Tallahassee to “Malihassee.”
Miami’s championship hopes are alive thanks in part to a teenager who should be dreaming about next spring’s prom. And the scariest part? Malachi Toney is just getting started.
“Now, since you praise him, I’ve got to push him that much harder all week long,” Cristobal said. “So, he’ll send you a thank you.”
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