Miami’s offense has more ammunition than anyone else in the country. The Hurricanes are the only squad with two receivers who eclipsed 1,000 yards last year.
Malachi Toney recorded 1,211 receiving yards, earning ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Cooper Barkate, who transferred in from Duke with quarterback Darian Mensah, tallied 1,106 yards.
Their combined firepower was noted by national college football host JD PicKell of On3 Sports. He ranked the 10 best quarterback-receiver duos in the country. Miami is the only team with TWO duos on the list: Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney AND Mensah and Cooper Barkate.
The Mensah/Toney combo ranks second behind Ohio State’s Julian Sayin + Jeremiah Smith. The Mensah/Barkate duo ranks eighth. The other duos featured are Longhorns Arch Manning and Cam Coleman, third; Oregon’s Dante Moore and Dakorien Moore, fourth; Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Mylan Graham, fifth; Aggies duo Marcel Reed/Mario Craver, sixth; Indiana’s Josh Hoover and Nick Marsh, seventh; LSU Tigers Sam Leavitt and Trey’Dez Green, ninth; and John Mateer & Isaiah Sategna III of Oklahoma, tenth.
Miami featuring a pair of 1,000+ yard threats means teams will have to decide which one to double cover. Toney will likely draw most of the extra attention, leaving Barkate with more space than he had at Duke last season.
Toney is explosive and consistent enough to keep putting up numbers even when defenses key in on him. Per Pro Football Focus, he led the nation with 831 yards after catch and 33 forced missed tackles after the catch. In other words, he can make you pay any time he has the football in his hands. The sophomore provides an additional threat with gadget plays. He threw for two touchdown passes and ran for another in 2025.
I’ll be curious to see which Hurricanes receivers emerge after Toney and Barkate. Sophomore Joshua Moore is the most intriguing to me. At 6-4, 215 pounds, he has the physical characteristics of a number one option. In limited work as a freshman, Moore hauled in 17 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He flashes in practices with his deceptive speed and ability to haul in contested catches.
Moore will face heavy competition for playing time from South Carolina transfer Dre Jacobs and former West Virginia Mountaineer Cam Vaughn. Throughout spring, they both flashed certain days, and each kept me guessing if they could beat out Moore for the third starting wideout job.
The Hurricanes have additional receiver depth from sophomore Daylyn Upshaw and true freshmen Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris, Vance Spafford, and Tyran Evans. Upshaw is twitchy and has put in extra offseason work with Mensah. He recorded seven catches for 105 yards last year—that’s 15 yards per catch.
Miami’s offense has the building blocks to be a well-rounded unit. The running back room, led by Mark Fletcher and Marty Brown, should be among America’s deepest.
The Mensah, Toney, and Barkate trio will draw plenty of eyes this year, but seeing who else can take over games will make things extra fun in 2026.
