Miami's Malachi Toney undergoes ankle surgery, out indefinitely ahead of Notre Dame showdown

Malachi Toney, Miami's sophomore wide receiver and a leading Heisman Trophy contender, suffered a high ankle sprain at practice on Wednesday and underwent surgery that night — a blow that will sideline him for at least four weeks and potentially the rest of the regular season, arriving just days before the No. 1 Hurricanes travel to face No. 11 Notre Dame in South Bend.

Toney got tangled up with a defensive back during practice on Wednesday and left immediately for evaluation, according to reports. An MRI and X-ray performed Wednesday evening confirmed the high ankle sprain, and CBS Sports first reported that he would undergo the 'TightRope' surgical procedure. Miami is hoping the surgery — which typically carries a four-to-six week recovery — positions Toney to return for the College Football Playoff if the Hurricanes qualify.

Malachi Toney sustained an injury during Wednesday's practice and is currently undergoing further evaluation by the team's medical staff. We will share additional updates as appropriate.— Miami Hurricanes, official statement

The stakes of losing Toney are hard to overstate. Through eight games this season, the sophomore leads Power 4 receivers in receptions with 73 catches for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns — numbers that had placed him squarely in the Heisman conversation alongside Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, the national leader in passing efficiency and completion percentage (80.7%), according to CBS Sports. Last season, Toney set a Miami school record with 109 receptions as the Hurricanes reached the National Championship Game.

Miami entered the week ranked No. 1 in the first CFP rankings of the season, with an 8-0 record. The Hurricanes were already listed as underdogs in South Bend — multiple gambling establishments had moved Notre Dame from 5-point to 6.5-point favorites by Wednesday evening, according to Fox News, after word of the surgery spread.

Without Toney, quarterback Mensah will lean on a secondary receiving corps that, according to SB Nation, includes wide receiver Cooper Barkate — a Duke transfer who finished second in the ACC in receiving yards last season behind Toney himself — with 28 receptions for 372 yards and four touchdowns this year, and wide receiver Daylyn Upshaw, who has 22 catches for 263 yards and two scores. Tight end Elija Lofton has also emerged as a reliable target, per CBS Sports.

The game carries enormous weight for both programs. Notre Dame (ranked 11th in the first CFP poll) has no signature win this season — CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek noted the Fighting Irish lost their only top-25 matchup at BYU, with their next-best win coming on a neutral site against Wisconsin. A win over No. 1 Miami would be the signature result the committee says Notre Dame needs. For Miami, a loss without Toney would raise immediate questions about how the CFP committee weighs the absence of a Heisman-caliber player when evaluating the Hurricanes' résumé.

But when you look at Notre Dame's schedule and the wins that they have, vs. the teams that are ahead of them, they don't have that signature win right now. They lost in their only Top-25 matchup at BYU. The next best win was on a neutral site against Wisconsin. They have a great opportunity in front of them this weekend at home vs. Miami to get that signature win that I think they need to move up in the rankings. But the committee is very impressed by them. They wouldn't be 11th if we were not.— Hunter Yurachek, CFP Chairman

The matchup also carries a revenge dimension for Notre Dame. A 27-24 Week 1 loss at Miami in 2025 was the sole reason the Fighting Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of the Hurricanes on Selection Sunday that year, according to CBS Sports. Saturday is their first opportunity to settle that account.

Miami's coaching staff has publicly maintained its 'one game at a time' philosophy throughout the season. After last weekend's win over North Carolina, defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot said he did not even know who was next on the schedule — a reflection of the program's stated approach. Whether that mentality holds against the pressure of playing the nation's biggest game without its best offensive weapon will be tested Saturday night.

Why it matters — Toney's absence transforms a marquee CFP-implications matchup into a referendum on Miami's depth — and could reshape the Heisman race and playoff picture for weeks.

Reported by yahoo.com, foxnews.com, cbssports.com, sbnation.com, on3.com, miamiherald.com, espn.co.uk