The cover of EA Sports College Football 27 has turned into a rough omen for the three stars front and center on it.
Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney became the latest to go down Wednesday, suffering a high ankle sprain in practice and undergoing a TightRope procedure to stabilize the injury. He is expected to miss four to six weeks, which rules him out for Saturday’s matchup against Notre Dame. A return for the College Football Playoff is still possible.
Toney’s injury follows setbacks for the other two standard-edition cover athletes unveiled by EA Sports in June: Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy. All three were coming off standout 2025 seasons, but their 2026 campaigns have been derailed by injuries.
Moore was the first to get hit. He suffered a concussion in Oregon’s 41-27 win over USC on Sept. 26 after USC linebacker Desman Stephens II delivered a late hit while Moore was sliding on a scramble.
Moore was taken off the field for medical evaluation and later transported to a hospital. He has not returned to game action, and Oregon coach Dan Lanning does not expect him back this season.
Before the injury, Moore had completed 69.7% of his passes for 926 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception in four games.
Lacy’s issue came next. He dislocated his left shoulder in Ole Miss’ 34-27 loss to Texas on Oct. 24, adding another problem to a shoulder that had already been an issue earlier in the season and required surgery in the offseason.
He missed the Rebels’ Oct. 31 win over Auburn and has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against No. 2 Georgia.
After a huge 2025 season in which he rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns and earned first-team All-America honors, Lacy has been limited this year. Through six appearances, he has 388 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
The situation has already sparked the kind of talk that usually trails the Madden cover. As one post put it: “This game is cursed just like Madden. pic.twitter.com/sRJM6PZDO8”
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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
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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 🡒]