The Cotton Bowl quarterfinal has plenty of storylines, but perhaps the biggest is two South Florida receivers, on the same field, in the biggest game of the year so far for both teams, with a big "what if" hanging over it.
Jeremiah Smith and Malachi Toney could have been teammates
Ohio State sophomore Jeremiah Smith, the Miami Gardens native who has looked like a future NFL WR1 since the day he arrived in Columbus, said this week he "most likely" would have signed with Miami if the program had been "on the right track" during his recruitment. Instead, he's now facing the Hurricanes in Arlington.
If Smith had picked Coral Gables, it's not hard to see the alternate reality. Miami's breakout freshman Malachi Toney has become Carson Beck's go-to target and one of the most productive first-year receivers in the country. A Smith-Toney pairing would have been the best WR duo in the country (or at least rival the current Smith-Carnell Tate duo, among others).
Toney reclassified into the 2025 class and left American Heritage with a stack of accolades, including the Nat Moore Award and MaxPreps Florida Player of the Year honors. He logged 58 catches for 1,008 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season, plus 28 career receiving touchdowns. Toney had 141 career catches for 2,412 yards.
Smith's prep run at Chaminade-Madonna was dominant. He logged 90 receptions for 1,389 yards and 19 receiving touchdowns as a senior, plus 21 total touchdowns. MaxPreps also named him Florida's high school football player of the year.
In college, the two have been stars in slightly different ways
Smith is listed at 6-foot-3, 223 pounds and is the classic big target who can play above the rim, win downfield, and can still outrun defenders. As a freshman in 2024, Smith had 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. This season, he logged 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Toney is more of a swiss army knife for Miami. He is listed at 5-foot-11,188 pounds and he's hauled in 89 catches for 992 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Toney earned second-team AP All-America honors for his efforts this season.
Both players are dominant in their own ways and if Miami had been able to get Smith to commit, this would have been one of the best WR duos in the nation.