On Wednesday, reports broke that Miami Hurricanes star WR Malachi Toney sustained an ankle injury in practice. Later reports indicated that Toney will have surgery to fix the injury, and miss 4-6 weeks to recover. Our piece on these reports can be found here:
While the injury is a tough one to deal with, and we wish Toney a safe surgery and complete recovery, the season continues. Miami travels to South Bend to face
off against Notre Dame this week, and has 3 more ACC games after that as well.
So, while there isn’t any player who can fully replace Toney, here are 3 players who need to step up their performance and production to keep Miami’s offense performing as one of the best in America:
WR Cooper Barkate
The other big transfer from Duke, Barkate leads the list of players who can, and needs to, step up his performance and impact.
A 6’1” 195lb receiver, Barkate has a long history of elite performance at the college level. After starring at Harvard for 3 years, Barkate transferred to Duke last year. While there, he partnered with QB Darian Mensah (ever heard of him?) and put up a 2nd team All-ACC season. 72 catches for 1,106 yards and 7 touchdowns. Huge numbers for the ACC Champions as the clear #1 target.
With Toney out, Barkate now returns to his spot as Mensah’s #1 option. He’s a dynamic receiver who can carry the load for a top offense. He’s been very good as the #2 option for Miami this year, and posted solid stats with 28 catches for 372 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s the easy and right choice for the player mostly likely, and most able, to step into the spotlight as the focal point of Miami’s passing attack moving forward.
TE Elija Lofton
Someone that was billed as “the best and most athletic player on the roster”, Lofton is finally healthy for the first time in a couple of seasons and he’s flashing the kind of talent that earned him that high praise. I mean, just look at this picture, and the hurdle from the Carolina game, and you see the athleticism and playmaking that made him a blue chip recruit, and the starting TE on this roster.
Lofton is a multifaceted playmaker for the Canes offense. He works well in the RPO game as a flat and seam receiver. He’s good in the screen game as a receiver and blocker. And he’s great in space and after the catch (see the picture and video above), and he’s a mismatch for opposing defenses to contend with. His 20 catches for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns rank 4th on the Canes this year, but he is a prime option to do a lot of the between-the-numbers receiving work that Toney did, but with his own spin.
WRs Somourian Wingo and Vandrevius Jacobs
I couldn’t decide which other receiver to put here…so I’m putting both. Fight me.
Wingo and Jacobs bring different skillsets and abilities to the field, and each can find a role in the revamped Miami offense.
A blue chip true freshman, Wingo has a combination of size, speed, and skill that Miami should be keen to leverage. He’s worked his way into more playing time both as a kick returner and receiver as the year has progressed, and now there’s nothing but opportunity for him to make an even larger impact for this team. Wingo has 8 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown so far, but the sky is the limit for him.
A transfer from South Carolina (and Florida State before that), Jacobs is a blazing speedster who can stretch the field and score at a moment’s notice. He’s been solid so far in limited reps, posting 9 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.
Now you see why I put Wingo and Jacobs together here; their numbers are nearly identical.
With Toney out, each player has an opportunity to step into a bigger role, and have an immediate impact on the performance of the Canes offense.
The entire offense, and the entire team, will need to come together now. But these are the players that I think have the inside track on filling the void left in the wake of Toney’s absence. And I, for one, am excited to see how they do it.
