Miami’s push to hold onto five-star wide receiver Brysen Wright just got a lot more complicated, and Malachi Toney may be the Canes’ best answer.
Wright, once viewed as a near-certain Miami commit, is now drawing serious pressure from multiple programs. Texas has surged into the picture after Wright took a trip to Austin to watch the Longhorns rally past Ohio State, and that visit has pushed the Longhorns up among his top schools. Miami and Texas appear to be locked in the main fight, but Ohio State and Florida are still hanging around too.
That’s where Toney comes in. The Miami standout has already started publicly recruiting Wright to Coral Gables, and that kind of peer-to-peer pitch could matter. For Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes, it’s exactly the sort of help they want to see as the battle tightens.
The concern for Miami is simple: for months, the Canes seemed to be in control. Now, after the Texas visit, the situation feels very different.
Wright had a big night in Austin, with the Longhorns beating then-No. 1 Ohio State in dramatic fashion, and the atmosphere clearly left an impression.
Still, Miami has its own advantages. Wright has a strong connection with the staff, and Toney’s involvement only adds another layer to the pitch. The message from Miami is obvious: don’t let an in-state star drift away when the Hurricanes are already building something special at receiver.
Wright is the No. 1 wideout in the country for 2028 and the No. 1 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. Miami already has five five-star commits in the 2027 class, including receivers Nick Lennear and A’Mir Sears, so adding Wright would only make that room even more loaded down the line.
Texas is clearly pushing hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. Miami, meanwhile, needs another visit soon, and when Wright gets back to campus, Cristobal may want Toney right in the middle of it. If the Canes are going to win this recruiting fight, their most electric young star might have to help finish the job off the field.
In Other News...
Miami Faces A Tough Road Test With Its Secondary Under Pressure
The No. 5 Hurricanes head into their next test with a little more intrigue than a typical early-season road trip. Miami is 2-0 and will visit Wake Forest, which is also unbeaten, in a matchup that has already drawn attention inside the program because of the way the Demon Deacons play and the way their quarterback, Gio Lopez, has looked so far. Mario Cristobal and several Miami players have pointed to Wake Forests physical style as part of the challenge, and it is the kind of game that can demand patience, discipline and a clean night in the secondary.
That secondary is where the pressure is most obvious. Miami will be missing two starting cornerbacks because of injuries, which shifts even more responsibility onto a defense trying to hold up in a tough road environment. For the Hurricanes, the question is less about reputation than readiness, with both sides entering the game unbeaten and the margin for error likely to be thin from the opening series. [Read more 🡒]
Mario Cristobal Just Framed What Miami Built In The FAMU Win
Mario Cristobal spent the aftermath of Miamis win over FAMU talking less about style points and more about the habits the Hurricanes are trying to build. He pointed to the work, energy and execution that showed up in the game, along with a few individual performances that stood out, including JJ Dunnigan, Vance Spafford, Javian Mallory, Armondo Blount, Luke Nickel and Dereon Coleman. For a team still in the process of putting its identity together, those kinds of nights matter because they give the staff a clearer read on where the younger players are and how the group is coming together.
Cristobal also made it clear that the value of a game like this goes beyond the final result, especially when it comes to giving younger players real snaps and keeping the standard where Miami wants it. The Hurricanes came away with a better sense of their depth and camaraderie, but the bigger question is how much of that progress carries forward once the competition stiffens. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Has The Edge Unless Wake Forest Solves Two Problems
Wake Forest gets a quick reset after its two-overtime win over Purdue, but the assignment waiting next on the schedule is a far bigger test. Miami comes in as the more polished side, with Darian Mensah steering an offense that has been efficient and balanced, and one telling sign of that comfort has been how cleanly the Hurricanes have kept him protected. For a Wake Forest team trying to stack another strong result in ACC play, that makes the matchup about more than just effort or tempo.
The Demon Deacons do have a defense capable of getting after the quarterback, and that gives them at least one way to make things awkward for Miami. The problem is that Wake Forest also has to turn pressure into points, and its scoring efficiency once it gets inside enemy territory has lagged behind Miamis. Unless the Deacons can solve both sides of that equation, the Hurricanes look like the team with the sharper edge. [Read more 🡒]