Miami Superstar Selected Finalist for the 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award
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Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney was selected as a finalist for the 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Wednesday afternoon.
Toney is one of five finalists for the national honor, which recognizes the top freshman in college football each season. He joins Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin on this year’s list.
Toney delivered a standout debut campaign for the Hurricanes, issuing one of the most productive freshman seasons in program history. The Liberty City, Fla., native finished the regular season with 84 receptions for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, setting a Miami freshman record for single-season receiving yards.
He posted at least 60 receiving yards in nine of 12 games, including four 100-yard outings. Toney logged a season-best 153 yards at Florida State on Oct. 5 and followed with 146 yards in Miami’s win over Virginia Tech. He closed the regular season with a dynamic performance at Pittsburgh, recording both a receiving touchdown and a passing touchdown.
A graduate of American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Toney arrived at Miami as one of the state’s most accomplished recruits. A four-star prospect, he was ranked as high as the No. 192 overall player nationally and among the top 20 wide receivers in his class. He won the 2024 Nat Moore Award as South Florida’s top high school player and was named Florida High School Player of the Year by MaxPreps after leading American Heritage to a Class 4A state championship.
The winner of the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award will be announced Dec. 30, 2025, with a formal presentation to be made during the Maxwell Football Club Awards on March 14, 2026, in Atlanta.
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
2025 College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Ohio State, 12-0
2. Indiana, 12-0
3. Georgia, 11-1
4. Texas Tech, 11-1
5. Oregon, 11-1
6. Ole Miss, 11-1
7. Texas A&M, 11-1
8. Oklahoma, 10-2
9. Alabama, 10-2
10. Notre Dame, 10-2
11. BYU, 11-1
12. Miami (FL), 10-2
13. Texas, 9-3
14. Vanderbilt, 10-2
15. Utah, 10-2
16. Southern Cal, 9-3
17. Virginia, 10-2
18. Arizona, 9-3
19. Michigan, 9-3
20. Tulane, 10-2
21. Houston, 9-3
22. Georgia Tech, 9-3
23. Iowa, 8-4
24. North Texas, 11-1
25. James Madison, 11-1
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.