CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Malachi Toney, the star receiver for top-ranked Miami and a Heisman Trophy candidate, has been scheduled for surgery to address a high ankle sprain and will be sidelined for multiple weeks, a person with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday night.
The initial timeline for Toney's recovery won't be known until after the surgery, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the player nor the school revealed those details publicly.
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It is a huge blow to the Hurricanes (8-0, No. 1 College Football Playoff), who play a showdown game at No. 4 Notre Dame (7-1, No. 11 CFP) on Saturday — and now will do so without one of the nation's most dynamic players.
The injury is believed to be a high ankle sprain, and it's not uncommon for athletes with that issue to undergo surgery in an effort to speed the timeline of healing. Recovery periods vary widely, but it would seem very possible that Toney could return at some point this season.
Earlier Wednesday, the Hurricanes confirmed that Toney suffered an ankle injury in practice that morning. In a statement, Miami's athletic department said Toney was “undergoing further evaluation by the team's medical staff," adding that it will share further updates as appropriate.
Toney has dealt with ankle issues at times this season without missing any games — until now. The Hurricanes don't have a bye week for the rest of the regular season; they play Notre Dame this week, then finish with home games against Duke (Nov. 14), Virginia Tech (Nov. 21) and Boston College (Nov. 28).
If Miami makes the Atlantic Coast Conference title game — the Hurricanes would have to lose at least two of their final three league contests to not qualify — it would play again Dec. 5. The national playoff starts on Dec. 18; if the Hurricanes earn a top-four seed in that event it wouldn't begin CFP play until Dec. 30 at the earliest.
Not having Toney will have a huge impact on Miami — especially against a Notre Dame team entering this week with the nation's top-ranked defense. Among all Football Bowl Subdivision players entering this week, Toney is second with 73 catches, tied for second with 13 touchdown receptions and third with 1,027 receiving yards.
“He's as good as anyone you'll see,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said earlier this week.
This Miami-Notre Dame game — a rematch of a Week 1 game a year ago won by Miami, an outcome that ultimately got the Hurricanes the last at-large berth into the CFP field and kept the Irish out of the playoff — has been touted for months as a showdown between great teams. It was also supposed to be a showdown of elite talent, especially what had been a widely expected matchup between Toney and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore.
Toney is responsible for 35% of Miami's catches, 39% of its receiving yards and 46% of its touchdown receptions this season. An All-American last year as a freshman, he and Miami quarterback Darian Mensah are among the Heisman favorites this season with the Hurricanes among the national leaders in a slew of offensive categories.
Toney appeared in all 24 of the Hurricanes' contests since he enrolled last year. He led the nation with 109 catches last season and is already just 18 away from matching the Miami all-time record of 200 — set by Xavier Restrepo over five seasons. Toney is in just his second year at Miami.
He broke the Hurricanes' record for receiving yards in a game with 234 in this season's opening win at Stanford, then broke the school record for receptions in a game with 16 against Pitt last month. Toney's 2,238 receiving yards ranks sixth all-time at Miami, and his 23 career receiving touchdowns are three shy of matching Michael Irvin's school record.
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