Bill Belichick didn’t need long to make his point about Malachi Toney.
Ahead of Miami’s trip to Chapel Hill for Halloween night, the North Carolina coach spent part of his Monday press conference breaking down the Hurricanes’ star receiver and the problems he creates for a defense. Belichick kept coming back to the same idea: coverage alone doesn’t solve the Toney problem.
“He finds ways to get open even when he is double-covered. That doesn’t really stop him. I mean, you would think it would, but not really.”
He doubled down on that assessment a moment later.
“You would think it would, but not really. He’s made several big plays off double coverage because he knows how to beat double coverage.
At his age, that’s pretty impressive. I don’t see any weak points in his game.”
Those comments carry real weight coming from Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning coach known for obsessive defensive preparation and a long history of matching wits with elite players. They also underline the challenge waiting for UNC’s secondary when Miami brings one of the nation’s most dangerous offenses into town.
Toney’s production has been outrageous through seven games. He has 66 catches for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he just set a Miami single-game receptions record with 16 catches for 194 yards and three scores in Saturday’s 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. The week before that, he had 11 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns in a double-overtime victory over Florida State.
What makes him so hard to deal with goes well beyond the box score. Belichick pointed to Toney’s route-running, yards after the catch, blocking, and even his ability to throw the ball. Opposing coaches and analysts have already spent plenty of time trying to map out how to contain him, and Belichick’s remarks only reinforced how slippery that task really is.
“He’s good at everything. He’s even a good blocker,” he said.
“He’s tough. A lot of guys that play that position don’t have that.
He’s obviously very explosive, quick, and fast. Good with the ball in his hands… He’s a good returner.
He can turn a short play into a long touchdown, like he’s done a bunch of times.”
Miami heads into the matchup led by quarterback Darian Mensah and what has looked like the best offense in the country. On the other side, Belichick’s Tar Heels are 4-3 and coming off a tough overtime loss to Syracuse. They’ll have plenty to handle trying to slow an attack that features two Heisman candidates, with Shannon Dawson expected to keep moving Toney around and making life even harder on the defense.
In Other News...
Bill Belichick's Real Power At UNC May Be Coming Into Focus
North Carolinas front office reshuffling has turned into one of the more revealing storylines around the Tar Heels football program. The school suspended Michael Lombardi from his general manager role on July 27 amid an HR investigation, and he formally resigned in early September, leaving the program to sort through a job that has become increasingly important as college football keeps borrowing more from the pro model.
The search for a replacement is already underway, with former Michigan GM Sean Magee helping consult on the process. What makes the next hire especially interesting is the possibility that the role could be built to report to both athletic director Steve Newmark and head coach Bill Belichick, a structure that would say a lot about how much influence Belichick is expected to wield in Chapel Hill and how UNC wants its football operation to function moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Downs Just Put UNC Fans On Trade Watch
The NFL trade market has started to swirl around a familiar name for North Carolina fans, with former Tar Heels wide receiver Josh Downs now asking the Colts for a move. Downs is in the final year of his rookie contract, and his name has already been floating in trade talk as Indianapolis continues to reshape its roster with a string of notable departures, including Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. For UNC supporters, it is another reminder of how quickly the NFL side of the pipeline can turn into a waiting game.
Downs has long been one of the more recognizable Carolina receivers to follow at the next level, and his situation now sits in the same conversation as teammate Jonathan Taylor. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, have their own receiver story unfolding back in Chapel Hill with Jordan Shipp and the broader push to keep that position producing at a high level. For a fan base that tracks both the college and pro arcs closely, this is the kind of roster-watch wrinkle that can change the mood around a Friday night or Sunday afternoon in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Misses On Five-Star As This Recruitment Slipped Away Fast
North Carolina had a real shot in the mix for five-star prospect Asa Montgomery, but the rising 2027 guard is headed to Duke instead, narrowing one of the more closely watched recruiting battles on the board. Montgomery picked the Blue Devils over a group that included UNC, UConn, Georgia Tech and LSU, a reminder of how quickly elite recruiting can turn when a player starts separating himself from the pack.
For the Tar Heels, the miss adds another layer to a rivalry that tends to show up in the recruiting lanes long before it ever reaches the court. Dukes class keeps building around top-end talent, while UNC now has to keep pressing ahead with other targets and make up ground elsewhere in a cycle where every high-end decision matters. [Read more 🡒]