Cowboys Legend Calls Miami WR Malachi Toney “The Greatest Receiver” He Has Ever Seen

Malachi Toney caught 3 touchdown passes in Miami's week one victory over Stanford.

Cowboys Legend Calls Miami WR Malachi Toney “The Greatest Receiver” He Has Ever Seen

Malachi Toney and Michael Irvin inside the circle (Image via Sports Illustrated/X)

When Michael Irvin talks about receivers, everyone listens. Irvin believes Miami’s Malachi Toney is the best wide receiver prospect in history.

Toney burst onto the college football scene last year with the Hurricanes. While receiving from Carson Beck, Toney finished his rookie season with 100+ catches and averaged 11.1 yards per catch.

Toney has started his sophomore season with a bang. In Miami’s opening-day victory over ACC rivals Stanford, Toney scored 3 touchdowns.  

In a recent segment of The Locker Room, Dallas Cowboys legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin raved about Toney as a wide receiver prospect.

This is the greatest receiver I have ever laid my eyes on.

Michael Irvin said

The 2026 college football season is blessed with several young and talented receivers. Irvin has a great eye for identifying talent. But some would argue that he’s a bit biased. Well, that’s because Irvin is an alum of the Miami Hurricanes. The 60-year-old won a National Championship with the Canes in 1987. The following year, he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

Sure, Toney is a great talent, but some might argue Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver in college football. Over the last two seasons, Smith has caught 163 passes for 2558 yards, 15.7 yards per catch, and a staggering 27 receiving touchdowns. He won a national championship during his freshman year. Smith was voted the Big 10 Receiver of the Year both years and earned a unanimous All-American selection in 2025.

In the Buckeyes’ first game of the 2026 season against Ball State, Smith caught 8 passes on 9 targets for 151 yards, averaged 18.9 yards per catch, and scored 2 touchdowns. As many as 17 NFL representatives from various teams were in Columbus to watch the 20-year-old in action.

Smith is already projected as a top-5 draft prospect in the 2027 draft. He is poised to be the next Ohio State great receiver among the pros after Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Terry McLaurin, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Chris Olave. JSN won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks last year and was voted the best offensive player. For Malachi Toney to establish himself as the best, he must eclipse Smith.

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Analyst reveals his pick in Malachi Toney and Jeremiah Smith debate

The latest college football season is only a couple of games old, and already the debate is raging over who is the better receiver between Malachi Toney and Jeremiah Smith. College football analyst David Pollack shared his honest thoughts.

Cowboys Legend Calls Miami WR Malachi Toney "The Greatest Receiver" He Has Ever Seen
Malachi Toney (Image via Sports Illustrated)

The former Georgia linebacker picked Toney over Smith.

I would rather have [Malachi] Toney than Jeremiah Smith… That wasn’t a knock on Jeremiah Smith, it was how great Malachi Toney is—at everything. But now he’s going to have a QB that can match what he can do. You watch him run routes and his ability to shift gears and use his body and use his angles and pace—slow the pace down, and then speed it back up, and then he’s so good with the ball in his hands afterward. Playing at a different speed than everybody else.

David Pollack said on the See Ball Get Ball Podcast

Miami and Ohio State don’t meet in the regular season. Both need to qualify for the CFP playoffs for Toney to face Smith. But before that, they should concentrate on their next opponents. Miami hosts Florida A&M at Hard Rock Stadium while the Buckeyes travel to Texas Memorial Stadium to play the No. 5 Longhorns.

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