UM legend Michael Irvin shares who’s the best freshman WR in Canes history
There has been a lot of talk about which wide receiver had the best freshman season in Miami Hurricanes history.
The options are plentiful – Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss and of course, The Playmaker himself a.k.a. Michael Irvin – yet one stands above them all. Just ask Irvin himself.
“It’s definitely Malachi,” Irvin said Wednesday when broached with the question at Hard Rock Bet’s takeover at the Wynwood outpost of La Sandwicherie. “The numbers say he had the greatest freshman season ever, you know what I mean, and he deserves that.”
As Irvin alluded to, the numbers certainly bear that out. In his first season, Toney caught a FBS-high 109 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns, the last two of which led the Atlantic Coast Conference. The star freshman also added 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as well as tossed a pair of scores.
“Malachi Toney is the perfect person for what’s in front of him,” Irvin said. “He’s going to be the Michael Irvin that has a steady climb. I wish I was as mature at that age as Malachi Toney is right now.”
Irvin then added one piece of information that certainly produced some laughs.
“I don’t know if I’m as mature at this age as Malachi Toney is right now,” Irvin quipped.
Although Toney definitely dominated his freshman year, racking up ACC Rookie of the Year, All-ACC honors as well as an All-American second-team nod, Irvin was no slouch, either. The UM legend put up 46 catches for 840 yards and nine touchdowns, the highest total among all Independent schools. Irvin was generally regarded as having one of the better freshman seasons in program history — until Toney showed up.
“I have never seen this dude — hand to God — take off one play,” Irvin said. “I’m not just talking on catching the ball. I’m talking about blocking — and he got that Napoleon complex thing going — he blocks everybody. Hard. He’s a strong dude. Like, don’t get hurt. I need you catching passes. But that’s the champion in him.”
The Hurricanes fell just short of a College Football Playoff National Championship, losing in the title game to Indiana 27-21. In that game, Toney was one of the driving forces of the offense as he led the team in catches (10) to go along with 122 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Despite being just a freshman, his place on the team was unmistakable.
“Everybody trusts him,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said following UM’s 10-7 win over Texas A&M in the first-round of the CFP. “I mean, a lot of the reason why we’re here today is because of his playmaking ability. He brings so much energy to the team. They trust him. They love them, and they knew that there was going to be some more football to be played. He was going to be a big part of the reason why we’re going to have a chance to pull out the game.”
For a player who already set the bar so high — his 109 catches were a school record — yet fell short of his ultimate goal, how Toney approaches his sophomore year will be worth the watch. Even better: the Canes have a good roster built around him thanks to additions such as quarterback Darian Mensah, edge rusher Damon Wilson II and fellow wideout Cooper Barkate.
Exactly what to expect from Toney, who most received the title of EA Sports College Football 27 cover athlete, remains a bit of mystery.
“Just be the best version of Malachi Toney for the University of Miami,” Toney said. “Just keep going, keep maturing and be a leader to the younger guys.”
Added Toney: “You’ll have to see.”
