When Pitt walks into Miami this weekend, the challenge starts with one name: Malachi Toney. The Hurricanes’ star receiver has become the kind of player defenses can identify on the scouting report and still struggle to erase once the ball is snapped.
There has been one real dip this season, and it came against Clemson. Junior cornerback Ashton Hampton handled most of the coverage, and Toney was held to five catches and 59 total yards. Even then, Miami still rolled out of Memorial Stadium with a 41-13 win.
That’s the problem for anyone trying to solve the Hurricanes. Quarterback Darian Mensah does not have to force-feed Toney to keep the offense moving. Cooper Barkate, Daylyn Upshaw, and Elija Lofton give him other targets, while Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory can help shape the run game out of the backfield.
Still, Toney sits in a different tier. The 19-year-old is one of college football’s premier playmakers, with production that already stacks up with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Last season, he led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 109 catches for 1,211 yards and added 13 total touchdowns - 10 receiving, one rushing and two passing. He can hurt a defense in just about every way.
Pitt senior cornerback Raion Strader believes the Panthers have a plan for him, though.
“I think we have a great scheme for [Toney],” he said. “We believe in ourselves and really confident on the defensive side. We’re going to bring it to him.”
Strader, 21, is likely to be the main corner assigned to that job. He is listed at 6-0, 190 pounds, and has posted a 76.5 Pro Football Focus grade this season. He also carries a 49.1 passer rating allowed, along with three pass breakups and three interceptions.
Even if Pitt throws different looks at him, Toney has shown he’s not easy to shake. The Liberty City, Fla., native doesn’t carry a reputation for sulking when the ball doesn’t find him. He keeps working, including as a blocker, where he helps create room for teammates.
Shannon Dawson has enough weapons in the Miami offense to keep Mensah spreading the ball around, but Toney still finds his way into the action. He has not dropped a pass since arriving in college football last season. And in Miami’s 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State last Saturday, he made his presence felt early with a 30-yard catch over two defenders in the first quarter.
The Hurricanes have other ways to strike, but Toney is rarely quiet for long.
In Other News...
Belichick's North Carolina Suddenly Has A Massive Chance Against No. 1 Miami
Miamis trip to North Carolina on Oct. 31 suddenly looks like one of the most intriguing games left on the schedule. The Hurricanes are still unbeaten at 6-0 and coming off a double-overtime win over Florida State, but they now have a short turnaround before a matchup with a Tar Heels team that has quietly put together a 5-1 start under Bill Belichick.
North Carolina also brings a history of giving Miami trouble, which adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of weight in the race for the top spot. Miami still has Pitt on deck after that, and the Panthers arrive off a loss to Boston College, so the Hurricanes are staring at a stretch that could say plenty about how long they can stay at No. 1. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State May Already Have A New Portal Problem In Corvallis
College footballs transfer market keeps reshaping depth charts well before a season even gets underway, and Miami has already seen how quickly one addition can change a room. With 21 transfers from the class of 2026 making an early imprint across the sport, the Hurricanes are part of a larger wave of programs benefiting from players who arrived and immediately started producing, whether it was on defense, in the backfield or in key rotational roles.
Oregon State is one of the teams feeling the ripple effect in Corvallis, where the portal has already become both a source of opportunity and a looming challenge. The Beavers are among the programs watching their new arrivals turn into real building blocks, but the broader lesson is clear for Miami and everyone else paying attention: when transfers start delivering interceptions, rushing yards and disruptive defensive snaps right away, the program that found them can look smart one week and vulnerable the next. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Exposed A Miami Problem Pitt Will Be Watching
Miami escaped Florida State with a double-overtime win, but the game also put a spotlight on a defense that had to hang on far longer than it would have liked. The Seminoles piled up a season-high 35 points against Miami, pressed the Hurricanes with nearly two Hail Mary completions and turned a rivalry night into a stress test for Corey Hethermans unit. Even with the victory preserved by Bryce Fitzgeralds controversial interception after review, there were enough breakdowns and close calls to give the defense plenty to sort through.
For Miami, the bigger concern is how those issues might travel into the next matchup, especially against a Pitt team that will be studying every vulnerable spot. Hetherman and linebacker Chase Smith both pointed to the problems the Hurricanes had with screen passes and the late-game chaos that nearly flipped the outcome. Miami got the result it wanted, but the tape left behind a clear reminder that surviving one wild finish is not the same thing as cleaning up the problems that caused it. [Read more 🡒]