No. 1 Miami may have to navigate at least the rest of the regular season without a star receiver Malachi Toney.
Following reports that Toney injured his ankle during Wednesday’s practice, further evaluation revealed that the situation is worse than initially expected. It is now believed that Toney’s injury will require surgery, according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, who also suggested this is not a season-ending situation. Toney is expected to miss at least a few weeks, but at this point the expectation is that Toney will be back for the playoffs if Miami does indeed make it to the College Football Playoff.
Earlier in the day Wednesday, there was hope that Toney could potentially play through his injury this weekend as Miami travels to face No. 11 Notre Dame in a marquee game in South Bend. That no longer appears to be the case, with Toney expected to miss uncertain time.
The Hurricanes are now considered an underdog against the Irish, with the gap increasing throughout the afternoon.
Through eight games, Toney is third in the nation in receiving yards (1,027), second nationally in receptions (73) and second in touchdown receptions (13). Toney is the focal point of UM’s potent passing attack, accounting for 33 percent of all targets this season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Toney earned a 95.0 receiving grade, which is the best grade of any pass catcher in the country. Toney hasn’t dropped a catchable pass all season. His most productive game came against Pittsburgh, catching 16 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns.
When the injury was announced, Toney’s Heisman Trophy odds stood at +800, which was fourth best. Strategist Darian Mensah has the second-best Heisman odds at +200.
Stay tuned to InsideTheU for more on this developing story.
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