Playing opposite five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss could be an imposing proposition for a freshman but Malachi Toney has been special through two games against notable out-of-state opponents. Already posting a 100-yard performance and a touchdown on national television, Toney is thriving against single coverage.
Those two standout performances were all it took for schools to take notice. On Monday, he earned offers from Miami, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Louisville, Penn State and Western Carolina. That early recruiting attention is garnering comparisons to Inniss, who became an highly coveted prospect early on himself.
After scoring his first high school touchdown, the freshman sensation went viral with his interview response to what he saw:
"I seen he ain't as good as me so I told the quarterback to check me to a fade. I know he ain't messing with me. So he threw it up and I caught it. I made a good catch, good throw. It was all perfect."
The confidence is one of the best traits for the young wide receiver. In an offense loaded with talent like Inniss, Ohio State commit running back Mark Fletcher, double-digit offer 2025 running back Byron Louis and ULM commit quarterback Blake Murphy, Toney is not overshadowed in any way.
This is not the first time we have seen the freshman shine on a massive stage. Back in June, at the highly competitive OT7 7-on-7 tournament, he was one of the youngest players on a star-studded South Florida Express squad, but scored multiple touchdowns across the weekend. He also played key minutes in the championship game that came down to the final play.
South Florida has been a breeding ground for receiver talent, as 26 blue-chip wideouts have come out of Broward and Miami-Dade in the 2020 to 2024 classes. Toney is poised to be the next great receiver out of the area if he continues this high level of production.
Speaking to Inniss, he raved about his young counterpart:
"The kid isn't scared of competition and has that dog mentality that the person next to him will never win. He is going to have the best freshman seasons we have seen in a long time."
The pedigree is there for Toney to live up to the early hype and offers. His father, Antonio 'DayLa' Brown played three years in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins after accounting for nearly 2000 total yards during his time at West Virginia. Brown was rumored to have 4.15 second 40-yard dash speed and once beat former Hurricane Devin Hester in a head-to-head race.
The Patriots could go into a huge match-up against nationally ranked Chaminade-Madonna at 4-0. After playing the Lions, Heritage has a tough stretch of games against 4A State Champion Cardinal Gibbons, Davie Western, Hykeem Williams led Fort Lauderdale Stranahan and Naples.
