Miami is aware offense isn't all on Malachi Toney's shoulders

Malachi Toney is a special wide receiver for the Miami Hurricanes.

He's the type of player that the Hurricanes can simply feed the ball to. There's no reason he shouldn't get 10-12 designed touches a game because when he has the football in his hands, good things happen for the Hurricanes.

As a freshman, Toney caught 125 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now in his true sophomore season for the Canes, he's already caught 16 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns.

He's a star, without a doubt, but one wide receiver does not make an elite offense.

Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson has to be cognizant that there are several other players on this roster who need significant touches. It's not just about keeping them happy, either. 

It's about running a coherent offense and keeping defenses on their toes.

Dawson explained as much to the media on Wednesday.

“We don’t want to be a throw-the-ball-to-Mali offense,” he said, according to Jordan McPherson of "The Miami Herald".  “I mean, he’s going to get his. We understand that, but we want the ball to be spread around.”

The Hurricanes have a quarterback in Darian Mensah who can throw the football around the yard and spread defenses out with multiple different receivers.

Miami Hurricanes have several weapons on offense 

Sophomore Joshua Moore checks in at a massive 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and he knows how to use his blend of size and speed. He's caught four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown so far this season, averaging 22.8 yards per catch.

Senior wideout Cooper Barkate transferred with Mensah from Duke, and the two have shown off their rapport in the early going of this season. He's caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Let's not forget about senior running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who needs his touches. Last season, he rushed 216 times for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns. So far in 2026, he's rushed 20 times for 145 yards and two scores.

The Hurricanes are explosive; there's no doubt about it. There's also no doubt that they need to feed Toney as much as they can, but even he knows that this thing works best when everybody is touching the rock.

“Everybody can eat in this offense,” Toney said.