Miami Star Malachi Toney Nearly Fell for Fake NIL Deal, Now He's Helping Others Avoid Scams

Malachi Toney is getting pretty good at this NIL thing.

The Miami Hurricanes wide receiver already has deals with Adidas and Red Bull, and now Chase is on the list. But the part that caught my attention wasn't another big company signing one of college football's best receivers. It was why Toney wanted to do this one.

Somebody tried to trick him with a fake brand offer.

Athletes have companies coming to them offering deals an endorsements, and now apparently there are people pretending to represent companies. Toney got close enough to one of those scams that he's now using his new deal with Chase to help other young people avoid making the same mistake.

Toney's NIL Portfolio Is Getting Pretty Big

Oct 17, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) catches a touchdown during overtime against the Florida State Seminoles at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I knew Toney was having a huge year at Miami. I didn't realize how much his business side had taken off too. On3 currently lists his NIL valuation at $2 million, and he's putting together a pretty impressive list of companies he's working with.

I started looking through some of his deals and was a little surprised. Adidas is there. So is Red Bull. Throw Chase in there now, and that's a pretty good group for a guy who hasn't even finished his second season at Miami.

Toney had a solid freshman year, but his sophomore year has been different. This year he already has 73 receptions for over 1000 yards, plus 13 touchdowns. He's become one of those guys I expect to see highlights from every Saturday. When I investigated the brand partnerships he's working with, it wasn't that hard to figure out why those companies were interested in the emerging star.

I still catch myself looking at NIL like it's something new. Maybe that's because I'm used to guys having to make it to the NFL before we started talking about their money and endorsements. That's obviously not how it works anymore, and Toney is a pretty good example of how much has changed.

Toney's Chase Deal Is Important To Him

This one isn't really about Toney putting another big company on his list. He's actually got a reason for getting involved. Toney said he almost fell for a fake brand deal.

Chase is making November its Fraud & Scam Prevention Month, so the timing makes sense. The company says it already holds more than 1,000 fraud and scam prevention workshops every year. One number really got my attention: Chase says nearly half of the scams reported to the bank start on social media.

Toney's Chase partnership will allow him to reflect on his personal experiences when he was almost tricked by a fake brand deal, and provide him with an opportunity to offer tips to others to help avoid scams.

Add us as a preferred source on Google