Miami star wide receiver Malachi Toney has a high ankle sprain and will have surgery, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Wednesday, sidelining the Heisman Trophy contender for Saturday's game against Notre Dame and beyond.
The timeline for return from this type of injury is typically at least four weeks. There are six weeks until the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Miami said in a statement that Toney was injured during Wednesday's practice.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound sophomore emerged as a Heisman hopeful with 73 receptions (most among Power 4 receivers) for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns and has surpassed 100 all-purpose yards in six of eight games for the undefeated Hurricanes.
Miami debuted at No. 1 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday. The Hurricanes are leading the nation in scoring at 47.6 points per game this season with a passing attack led by Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah and wideouts Toney, Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw.
Before news of the injury, Toney had the fourth-best Heisman odds according to DraftKings at +700 behind Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Mensah and Notre Dame's CJ Carr.