Malachi Toney Injured, Latest Rumors on Miami WR's Status vs. Notre Dame

The Miami Hurricanes could be tasked with defending their No. 1 ranking without their star wide receiver.

Miami announced Wednesday that Malachi Toney "sustained an injury during Wednesday's practice and is currently undergoing further evaluation by the team's medical staff."

The Hurricanes added that additional updates on Toney's status will be shared as appropriate.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Max Olson first reported Wednesday that Toney is uncertain to play Saturday against No. 4 Notre Dame due to an ankle injury

Thamel noted "Toney is expected to press and attempt to play, given the magnitude of the game."

The Miami Herald 's Barry Jackson reported the Hurricanes are not considering Toney's injury to be a "serious" or long-term issue.

According to Jackson, a Miami coach "has told friends that he's hopeful Malachi will be back tomorrow and play Saturday."

The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish are set to kick off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Notre Dame Stadium.

Toney currently ranks third only to Oregon State's Jesse Legree and Ohio State's Jeremiah State for the national lead with 1,027 receiving yards to go alongside 13 touchdowns in eight games this season.

The wide receiver started out his college career with six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in a season-opening win against Notre Dame last year that ultimately served as a key reason the Fighting Irish missed the playoff.

Saturday's matchup could once more have College Football Playoff implications.

Despite a No. 4 spot in the AP Poll, Notre Dame was listed at No. 11 on the first selection committee rankings of the year. Another loss would likely drop the Fighting Irish out of the playoff picture altogether.

Toney's sophomore campaign has so far helped quarterback Darian Mensah pace the nation with an 80.7 percent completion rate and Miami rank second in the nation with 535 passing yards per game.

Saturday's game marks Miami's first against a ranked opponent as well as Toney's best chance yet to establish himself as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.

Should Toney be sidelined this weekend, the Hurricanes could hope for senior wideout Cooper Barkate to step up as a top target for Mensah while Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher Jr. lead the team's run game.

Notre Dame lost a key defensive player this week when green dot linebacker Drayk Bowen was ruled out with an ankle injury.

Star cornerback Leonard Moore missed last weekend's game against Navy amid concussion and back issues but was not listed on Notre Dame's injury report this week.

The Fighting Irish will hope to get Moore back on the field for a potential matchup against Toney as Miami campaigns for a first-round bye and Notre Dame fights to make it back into the CFP this winter.