Malachi Toney

Toney was born on September 17, 2007 in Miami, Florida, growing up in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood.^[2] He attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida. During his final season in 2024, Toney recorded 57 receptions for 1,018 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns and also ran 36 times for 228 yards and four rushing touchdowns. American Heritage finished the season 12–2 and captured the Class 4A state championship. During American Heritage’s postseason run, starting quarterback Dia Bell sustained a season-ending injury.^[3] Toney assumed the quarterback role and guided the Patriots through the remainder of the playoffs, completing 38 of 53 passes for 524 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception.^[4] For his dual-role performance, Toney was named the 2024 Florida High School Football Player of the Year by MaxPreps, the Broward 4A‑1A Football Offensive Player of the Year, and was awarded the Nat Moore Trophy.^[5][6]

Toney was originally part of the 2026 recruiting class but reclassified to the 2025 class in September 2024, foregoing a traditional senior year to enroll early in college. He committed to the University of Miami to play college football.^[7]

Toney enrolled at the University of Miami in 2025 and entered his true freshman season as a starting wide receiver for the Hurricanes.^[8][9] Having reclassified from the 2026 recruiting class, he started the season at 17 years old, an age at which he otherwise would have been a high-school senior, making him one of the youngest starters in the FBS.^[10][11]

Toney made his collegiate debut in the season opener against Notre Dame, recording six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown as Miami secured the victory, immediately establishing himself as a key contributor in the Hurricanes’ offense.^[12] He finished the 2025 regular season with 84 receptions for 970 yards and seven receiving touchdowns, along with 17 rushing attempts for 89 yards and one touchdown. Miami also utilized Toney in Wildcat packages and trick plays, where he completed 4 of 6 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns, drawing on his high-school experience taking snaps at quarterback.^[13][14]

Toney had several notable performances during the season, including the regular season finale against Pittsburgh, where he tied the program record of 13 receptions (for 126 yards). He also rushed for 30 yards and threw a nine-yard touchdown pass in the game. His production set a new Miami freshman receiving-yardage record, surpassing the previous mark held by Ahmmon Richards. He earned multiple weekly honors, including ACC Wide Receiver of the Week and ACC Rookie of the Week.^[15]

At the conclusion of the season, Toney was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, and received First-team All-ACC recognition for his all-purpose contributions.^[16]

In the opening round of the College Football Playoff against Texas A&M, Toney recorded 113 all-purpose yards. With the game tied in the fourth quarter, he lost a fumble following a completed pass but later redeemed himself by scoring the game-winning touchdown on a jet sweep, the contest’s only touchdown. The victory marked Miami’s first College Football Playoff win in program history.^[17] In the process, Toney surpassed Xavier Restrepo’s single-season receptions record. Miami advanced to face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl Classic–CFP Quarterfinal, where Toney surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards for the season as the Hurricanes defeated the defending national champions, 24–14.^[18] In the Fiesta Bowl–CFP Semifinal, he recorded five receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Ole Miss.^[19] In the CFP National Championship Game against Indiana, he recorded a game-high 10 receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. Despite the loss, he became the FBS leader in receptions for the 2025 season, finishing with a school-record 1,211 receiving yards, surpassing Charleston Rambo’s 2021 mark of 1,172.^[20]

Toney's father, Antonio Brown, played college football for West Virginia and in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins from 2003 to 2005.^[22][23]