With Malachi Toney sidelined, the question now is simple: who absorbs those snaps when the ball goes up in South Bend on Saturday night?
Toney has been on the field for 60-plus snaps a game, and that kind of workload doesn’t just disappear. Freshmen Vance Spafford and Somourian Wingo are intriguing options if they get their chance, but the receiver I’m watching most is Dre Jacobs. He’s the one who looks ready to step into a bigger role beginning Saturday night.
Jacobs has already put together 9 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown this season, and the profile fits what Miami needs right now. He’s a junior transfer from South Carolina, and he’s been through this before. Jacobs is no stranger to playing in big spots, and he showed it as a sophomore for the Gamecocks, including on the road in the SEC.
The production is there in the record. At Missouri, he finished with 7 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.
At Texas A&M in November, he added 4 catches for 64 yards. Then came his biggest outing of the regular season finale against Clemson, when he went off for 7 catches, 141 yards and a touchdown.
No, Jacobs isn’t going to walk in and replace Toney with 15 catches and 150 yards in the first half. That’s not the point. The expectation here is more realistic: somewhere in the range of 4-6 catches, with a shot to get close to 100 yards.
What stands out most is the explosiveness. Last season at South Carolina, Jacobs caught 32 passes for 548 yards, a 17.2 yards-per-catch average. This year, he’s still stretching the field, averaging 16.7 yards per catch.
After winning the ACC title at Duke last season, Mensah and Barkate have already shown they can win at a high level together. Barkate should be Mensah’s top target on Saturday night and for the rest of November, but Jacobs has a chance to make this offense even more dangerous.
He could emerge as the second-leading receiver in catches, and there’s even a path for him to lead Miami in receiving yards over the month. That would give Mensah another real weapon heading into January, when Toney returns.
In Other News...
Miamis Notre Dame Plan Hinges On One Massive Malachi Toney Unknown
Notre Dame is still planning as if Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney could be part of the picture, even though the early read has him trending toward the sidelines after a high ankle sprain and surgery. Marcus Freeman said the Irish are preparing for the possibility Toney suits up, which tells you how much respect Notre Dame has for Miamis offense and how much uncertainty still hangs over this matchup.
For the Hurricanes, the bigger issue may be how they adjust if Toney is unavailable again, not just for this game but for the rest of the regular season and potentially the College Football Playoffs. Notre Dame also expects All-American cornerback Leonard Moore back after he missed recent games with a concussion, adding another layer to a game plan that already has to account for one major unknown on Miamis side. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Now Gets A Notre Dame Team With Everything To Lose
Notre Dames playoff positioning already has a strange look to it, sitting 11th in the first College Football Playoff rankings despite being fourth in the AP poll. The reason is pretty clear: the committee has not been sold on the Irishs resume, and the lack of signature wins has left little margin for error as the season tightens. Now the next stop brings a trip to No. 1 Miami, and for a team trying to prove it belongs in the top tier, the timing could hardly be more demanding.
The Hurricanes also know they will see Notre Dame without wide receiver Malachi Toney, who is out after ankle surgery and expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks. Even with that setback, the bigger pressure point is on the Irish, who need a win in Miami to strengthen their playoff case before the schedule offers fewer chances to recover from another loss. For a team already facing scrutiny from the committee, this is the kind of game that can reshape the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Darian Mensahs Huge Season Has Sparked A Real NFL Draft Debate
Darian Mensah has done just about everything a quarterback can do to force his way into the NFL conversation. Through eight games, Miamis signal-caller has thrown 25 touchdowns against just one interception while completing more than 80 percent of his passes, a run that has made him one of the most efficient passers in the country and a big reason his name is drawing so much attention beyond Coral Gables.
The debate now is less about whether Mensah belongs on draft boards and more about where he fits. Some analysts view him as a top prospect, while others have pushed him outside the first round, pointing to questions about his arm strength and the level of competition he has faced. For Miami, it is a reminder that a big season can change the conversation fast, even if the final verdict on a quarterback is still very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]