The Notre Dame Fighting Irish may have caught a break before their showdown with No. 1 Miami, but Marcus Freeman isn’t treating the reported loss of Malachi Toney as a reason to throw out the defensive game plan.
Toney, the Hurricanes’ leading receiver and one of college football’s top playmakers, reportedly needs surgery after injuring his ankle Wednesday. He is expected to miss Saturday’s game in South Bend. Freeman, however, says Notre Dame still intends to prepare for him.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Addresses Malachi Toney Injury Uncertainty
In a Thursday report, On3’s Daniel Hager highlighted Freeman’s refusal to assume the Miami receiver would be unavailable.
“We’ll see if he plays or not,” Freeman said. “We have to make sure we have a plan if he plays, if he doesn’t, we’ll adjust.”
Miami isn’t required to release an ACC availability report for Saturday’s game. The conference mandates those reports for conference matchups, and Notre Dame is a nonconference opponent. That leaves the Irish without the usual conference-mandated injury updates on Toney unless Miami voluntarily provides them.
Toney rolled his ankle during Wednesday’s practice, and On3’s Pete Nakos and Brett McMurphy reported he would undergo TightRope surgery and be sidelined indefinitely. A return later in the season remains possible.
Miami confirmed the practice injury Wednesday but did not publicly provide a surgical timetable. ESPN subsequently reported that Toney is expected to miss Notre Dame and likely several more weeks.
Freeman revealed that he learned of the injury after practice Wednesday, leaving Notre Dame only the final days of preparation to consider an offense without its top receiver.
Earlier, Freeman called Toney “one of one,” according to The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds.
In Toney’s college debut, he caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown as Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24. That result later proved critical when Miami earned a College Football Playoff berth and the Irish were left out.
Miami’s Malachi Toney Absence Would Test Hurricanes Offense
The sophomore has 73 receptions for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns through eight games in 2026. Those totals rank second nationally in catches, third in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdown receptions.
He accounted for more than a third of Miami’s receptions and receiving yards before the injury. Against North Carolina last Saturday, Toney had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 victory.
But Freeman isn’t planning on Miami’s offense disappearing without him.
As ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported, Freeman emphasized Miami’s roster depth.
“It’s not always the position as much as it is the player,” he said.
Cooper Barkate is Miami’s next-leading receiver with 28 catches for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Daylyn Upshaw has added 22 receptions for 263 yards and two scores, while tight end Elija Lofton has 20 catches for 236 yards.
Quarterback Darian Mensah leads an offense averaging 47.6 points per game, most in the country. Miami also has a productive rushing attack led by Mark Fletcher Jr., giving Notre Dame plenty to account for even if Toney remains sidelined.
The Irish will be missing defensive help of their own. Linebacker Drayk Bowen is out with an ankle injury, and safety Brauntae Johnson and cornerback DJ McKinney also remain unavailable.
Notre Dame enters Saturday 7-1 and No. 11 in the initial CFP rankings, while unbeaten Miami holds the top spot. The Fighting Irish can strengthen their playoff position with a win, but Freeman won’t assume Miami’s biggest receiving threat is gone until he sees who’s on the field.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Raises Questions About Miami’s Malachi Toney Status