The Miami Hurricanes got some tough news this week.
They learned that superstar wide receiver Malachi Toney won’t be available to play in South Bend against Notre Dame on Saturday due to an ankle injury.
It also appears based on reports that Toney will likely be out for the rest of the regular season. The hope will be that he’s back for the College Football Playoff.
The circumstance is actually quite unusual, though.
Toney got hurt during practice, with it being reported as a high-ankle sprain.
And unlike most ankle sprains, Toney underwent surgery. That’s not a common approach to such an injury.
It raises concern levels at least a bit on what the scoop is going forward.
Malachi Toney Injury Concern
A respected sports doctor on X (formerly Twitter) noted that it’s odd for a practice injury to an ankle to require surgery:
Unusual to have a high ankle sprain (especially severe enough to need surgery) from practice
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) November 5, 2026
Miami fans did note in the replies that Toney has been dealing with an ankle issue for much of the season.
It seems more likely that this wasn’t a totally fresh injury but instead one that Toney made worse on a play at practice this week.
There’s clearly no intention by Miami to hold out Toney for some alternate motive. They definitely want him out there. They just won’t have him.
And that’s not the only confusing part of this. He also got a surgery called the tightrope procedure, so that makes it more difficult to understand.
What is Tightrope Ankle Surgery?
Tightrope ankle surgery is a minimally invasive technique to repair severe high-ankle sprains.
A special high-strength, braided, polyethylene cord is attached to two metal pieces through small tunnels that are drilled into the fibula and tibia.
That gives the repair a flexibility that shouldn’t require further procedures.
The repair also allows for faster recovery.
The suggestion based on this being the reported procedure is that Toney was dealing with a bad ankle injury. It’s unclear how much of that came from practice this week and how much was already an issue.
How Long is Malachi Toney Out?
Toney is slated to be out at least four weeks, according to reports from earlier this week.
That would take him past the end of the regular season.
At this point, Miami seems to be aiming for the CFP for Toney. It’s not even guaranteed that he’ll be healthy by then, but that’s his best chance to be fully up to speed.
Miami’s Malachi Toney Injury, Tightrope Surgery Brings Unusual Worry