Malachi Toney could help Miami football flip dream 5-star WR target

What if Mario Cristobal was actually playing chess in Sunday night's win over Notre Dame?

The big star for the Hurricanes from the 27-24 was wide receiver Malachi Toney. The true freshman was electric in his first college game, leading the Miami passing attack with six catches for 82 yards. And Toney got to have his big performance in front of his best friend -- blue chip wide receiver Calvin Russell.

Last week, On3/Rivals national reporter Steve Wiltfong talked about how the Hurricanes had some ground to make up in their recruitment of Russell. According to Wiltfong, the player said he was only going to the Miami-Notre Dame game to see his best friend play.

"I think they still have work to do with Calvin Russell. I talked to a source close to him that said he's just going to see his best friend, Malachi Toney," Wiltfong said. "Obviously, it's a big game close to home, but he picked Syracuse. That's where he wants to be. He's close with Fran Brown and really believes in the Orange. We'll see where that recruitment stands in October, but right now going into the season, they've got ground to make up there."

Interesting.

Time will tell if the message was received

Whether Russell was there or not, Toney was going to have a big role in Sunday's game. He is a dynamic player and showed no fear of the big moment even in his first-ever college football game. But Toney's performance also serves as a message to Russell.

"You see what Malachi did? That could be you too."

Right now, Russell seems solid in his commitment to Syracuse and that's not going to change after one game at Hard Rock Stadium. But he got to see his best friend ball out live and up close. If he had concerns about immediate playing time, those were addressed when Toney took the field on nearly every offensive snap. And it won't be the last time.

As Russell finishes up his senior year at Miami Northwestern, he will continue to hear about his best friend becoming a star for the hometown team. And as Toney's star rises and the Early Signing Period approaches, will Russell look at his best friend's emergence at Miami and think: "Next year, it could be me".

​That's what Cristobal is betting on.