College football fans got to know University of Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney thanks to the Hurricanes’ run to the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The rest of the football-loving world will likely know his name in 2026.
Toney set the internet on fire with a record-setting performance in No. 7 Miami’s 45-6 win over Stanford to open the season on Friday night in Palo Alto, California — and sent a message by doing the Heisman Trophy pose after each of his 3 touchdowns.
“Toney, who finished with 12 receptions, broke a school record with 234 receiving yards, surpassing Eddie Brown’s mark (220) that was set in 1984, and tied the single-game mark for touchdown catches (3),” ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura wrote on September 5. “Only two of his catches, including a 47-yard touchdown, came in the second half.”
Malachi Toney’s Heisman Trophy Odds
FanDuel had Toney’s Heisman odds stuck at +1400 after Friday night’s game against Stanford — making him not even the best odds to win the Heisman on his own team, with quarterback Darian Mensah the odds-on Heisman favorite at +550.
One crazy thing to remember about Toney is that he’s not even eligible for the NFL Draft until 2028.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Plantation, Florida, native didn’t even turn 18 years old until almost 1 month into his 1st college football season and was supposed to be a senior at American Heritage High School in 2026 — he reclassified from the Class of 2026 to the Class of 2025 to start playing college football early.
It also bumps up when he can play in the NFL.
After 3 college football seasons, he’ll be eligible to enter the NFL draft following the 2027 season and can be drafted in 2028 — when he’ll still be just 20 years old.
“Congrats to whichever NFL team lands the No. 1 pick in the 2028 NFL Draft,” NFL analytics expert Ryan Paganetti wrote on his official X account on September 4. “You get first ballot Hall of Famer Malachi Toney at age 20, coming off back-to-back Heisman seasons. I’m already trying to project the NFL contract extension he’ll sign at 23.”
Easy NFL Comparison to Superstar Wide Receiver
Watching Toney play should draw memories of exactly 1 NFL superstar from recent memory — 6-time NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl champion wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The 2 players have almost identical measurables as well, with Hill at 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds and Toney at 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds.
Hill famously ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds at West Alabama’s Pro Day. Toney has reportedly been clocked between 4.45 and 4.50 seconds in the 40-yard dash — still 3 weeks shy of his 19th birthday that time is only going to go down as he gets older.
Miami Superstar Upends Heisman Race With Record-Setting Opener