Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney enters fall camp with a very different feel than he had a year ago.
The sophomore playmaker is coming off a freshman season that was nothing short of historic. As a former three-star recruit, Toney quickly turned into one of college football’s most dangerous weapons, finishing with a nation-leading 109 catches for 1,211 yards and 13 total touchdowns. That scoring output came three ways: 10 receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and two passing touchdowns.
Now, after surviving that first camp and all the chaos that comes with a freshman year, Toney says he knows exactly what’s ahead of him.
“This year, I feel more prepared,” he said. “I know what I’m going into.
Last year, I was a freshman. I started at the beginning of camp and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into going into the season.
Now, I have experience.”
That experience matters because Toney is no longer just the new kid trying to find his footing. He started 15 of 16 games last season and became one of the sport’s most electric all-purpose threats, able to line up in different spots and make something happen anywhere on the field.
The challenge for Miami now is that the receiver room around him looks a lot different.
The Hurricanes added Duke transfer Cooper Barkate, and he and Toney were the only ACC playmakers last season to top 1,100 yards. Miami also brought in South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs, Joshua Moore, West Virginia transfer Cam Vaughn and Daylyn Upshaw, giving the group a much deeper and more varied look.
Toney called the room “talented.”
That upgraded depth is part of why Miami has been mentioned as a team capable of fielding the nation’s best offense. Shannon Dawson has the job of sorting through all that talent and making it work together, and he’s done this before.
Last season, Miami led the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring with 43.9 points per game. Cam Ward powered that attack with 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdowns. This year, Darian Mensah will be asked to keep the offense rolling with a new and promising receiver group behind him.
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The same thing is happening on the other side of the ball, where the tight end room has been forced into a little more urgency after a summer injury changed the equation. Freshmen Gavin Mueller and Israel Briggs may have to help support Elija Lofton, and for Miami, the question is no longer just whether those players can flash in camp - it is whether the next wave can hold up when the season starts asking for real answers. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have A Growing Shannon Dawson Problem
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Carson Becks latest step only adds to the buzz around Dawsons value. In his NFL preseason debut with the Arizona Cardinals, Beck looked sharp and efficient, the sort of outing that keeps the focus on the teacher as much as the player. That is where the tension starts to build for Miami. If Beck and Darian Mensah keep taking the kind of strides that elevate an offensive staff, Dawsons name is going to keep circulating in bigger conversations, and the Hurricanes may have to deal with the possibility that their offensive architect becomes a target far beyond their own sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Keona Davis Could Be Miamis Answer To A Growing D-Line Concern
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One of the more intriguing answers is Nebraska transfer Keona Davis, whose appeal is rooted in versatility as much as talent. The Hurricanes need players who can absorb different assignments without disrupting the rest of the front, and Davis is being viewed as someone who can help in that kind of flexible role while the coaches continue sorting out where everyone fits. Whether he ends up on the edge or inside, Miami needs him to be part of the solution, and the bigger question is how quickly that answer comes together. [Read more 🡒]