By admin 
He has broken school records. He’s front and center on the cover of the latest edition of the NCAA college football video game. He’s bombarded by children at every local event he does.
Read more Summer doldrums? Xavier Becerra keeps low profile after bitter primary
Make no mistake about it: Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney, a former Plantation American Heritage standout and still only 18 years old, is already a bona fide celebrity and role model in South Florida.
“It means a lot,” Toney said. “It’s just a blessing.”
But also make no mistake about this: Toney’s not letting that status change how he goes about his day-to-day life. If anything, it’s fueling him to get better.
“Because I just know what it feels like to be at the bottom,” Toney said.
Toney has worked to get to this point, to put himself in this position. He has undeniable talent, for sure. But the work he puts in behind the scenes — striving for perfection in practice, knowing there’s another level to his game that no matter what he accomplishes, understanding what it takes to be great — is what leads to the results that are showing up now.
“I think he glows on the field,” safety and teammate Zechariah Poyser said of defending Toney in practice. “You know, they call him Baby Jesus for a reason.”
And after an ubersuccessful freshman season, one in which he set Hurricanes single-season records for catches (109) and receiving yards (1,211) while also hauling in 10 touchdowns, all eyes are going to be on him for an encore performance as a sophomore. Toney knows that. The Hurricanes know that.
The message from Coral Gables: Bring on the challenge.
“He knows that after the year he had last year that everybody is going to focus on him,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “Life is going to get tougher. You are going to have to strain, and we are going to have to do some things offensively that hide you a little bit. None of us can just take last year for granted and expect good things to happen this year because of what happened last year. None of us look at it like that. We know we all have to step up.”
Added Toney: “It’s really nothing crazy. Just play the game I’ve been playing my whole life.”
Toney certainly isn’t taking what he did last season for granted. In fact, he’s using it as a bar that he wants to clear.
His goals for 2026?
“Everything I did last year,” Toney said, “just times 10.”
While taking that in the literal sense will be impossible — that would require Toney to have 1,090 catches, 12,110 receiving yards and 100 receiving touchdowns (not to mention 20 touchdown passes and 10 rushing touchdowns) — the sentiment epitomizes Toney.
Read more California Gov. Gavin Newsom to stump for Democrats in Michigan
No expectations are too high for him to achieve. There’s no ceiling to what he believes he can accomplish.
“I feel more prepared because I know what I’m going into,” Toney said. “Last year, I was a freshman. At the beginning of camp, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into going into the season. But now I know because I have experience from the season.”
He also has experience with the fanfare that comes with the limelight. He’s now an idol for the younger players on the local fields in Miami-Dade and Broward that he was carving up not too long ago. They swarm him like paparazzi at every event he attends.
Yet despite the elevated stature, Toney has remained the same, stoic Toney that he was throughout his first year with the Hurricanes.
“I’ve never been Baby Jesus, so I can’t say I have,” Hurricanes defensive line coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor said of trying to imagine the attention Toney is receiving at such a young age. “I thought it was cool just to be JT, but it’s great for him. And there are people that probably get concerned about an 18- or 19-year-old kid being in that position and the notoriety and the fame. But he’s the same guy every day. I mean, I don’t coach him obviously, but he walks by my office almost every day and opens a door and comes in and gives me a hug, says good morning, and walks out. He’s just the same dude. He’s always here, always working. He’s what you want. He’s the standard. He’s what you want as a young player. He’ll continue to grow and get better, which is scary to think that as good as he is, he can continue to get better as we all can.”
Added quarterback Darian Mensah: “He deserves it all too. Like he’s one of the hardest-working dudes on this team. Humble. I told this to people before. You get a big-time receiver and usually they expect the ball, and then when they don’t get the ball — I think he only had like a few targets [at practice] — usually they’ll start complaining. He won’t say a word. He’ll just keep running his routes, continue to get open. I think that’s what’s the most special about him.”
Toney’s advice to those kids who are looking up to him?
“Stay the course,” Toney said.
That’s the advice he’s giving himself too as he looks to build on his instant collegiate success.
This story was originally published August 5, 2026 at 9:13 AM with the headline “Malachi Toney ‘glows’ on and off the field. Hurricanes star is ready for Year 2.”
Read more How did homicide by car become a special type of manslaughter in California?