Malachi Toney to Undergo Surgery on Injury, Latest Rumors on Miami WR's Status and Return Timeline

The Miami Hurricanes will reportedly be tasked with defending their No. 1 ranking without their star wide receiver in the immediate future.

Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported Wednesday that Malachi Toney is "expected" to undergo surgery for the ankle injury he suffered during practice.

"The current belief is that it's not a season-ending injury," Zenitz noted.

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

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, although that was before Zenitz's report.

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.

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 as Miami campaigns for a first-round bye and Notre Dame fights to make it back into the CFP this winter.