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Mt Rushmore of greatest true freshman season at UM...

CANEFAN83 said:
Malachi Toney may be the most special player to ever come through UM. He is that good IMO. We'll see how he does in his second year. He checks all the boxes and while he doesn't have great speed, he does so many other things well, that it isn't that big of a deal. He just has that "it" factor.
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Lots of guys have great top-end speed. But his ability to change direction, get in and out of breaks, and accelerate before the defense can even react is what sets him apart. Like you said, he is special. It was obvious from the moves he made on opening night vs ND and only got better as the season went on.
 
k9cane said:
As discussed on the CanesInsight podcast, the greatest true freshman seasons at the Univ. of Miami. And I must fall on the sword here, on the show I overlooked Ahmmon Richards 2016 campaign, where he nearly got to 1,000 yards in receiving. Yeah, I flubbed. Hey, even Tony Gwynn struck out once in awhile.

But here's my Mt Rushmore, followed by some honorable mentions:

*** Ray Lewis 1993: a tackling machine from the beginning. Made Robert Bass into UM's Wally Pipp after taking over in the second game of the year vs VaTech. The rest was history. Was actually a late signee in the recruiting cycle.

*** Duke Johnson 2012: The season opener at BC let you know how special this guy was. Was a multi-purpose threat who was also a dangerous kick returner. Best player of the 2010's in my view

*** Rueben Bain 2023: Won the ACC Freshman of the Year. Was an immediate impact player upfront on defense. He and Cici Mauignoa signaled that Mario Cristobal was bringing in a different caliber of player in the trenches.

*** Malachi Toney 2025: Quite simply, the greatest true frosh season in program history. There's no need to overthink this one. And he's already become an iconic figure in South Florida.

Honorable Mention

- Stacey Coley 2013
- Reggie Wayne 1997
- Frank Gore 2001
- Francis Mauignoa 2023
- Edgerrin James 1996
- Jason Fox 2006
- Brad Kaaya 2014
- Bryce Fitzgerald 2025
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No lies were told! Solid list!

Go Canes!!
 
ddann said:
Lots of guys have great top-end speed. But his ability to change direction, get in and out of breaks, and accelerate before the defense can even react is what sets him apart. Like you said, he is special. It was obvious from the moves he made on opening night vs ND and only got better as the season went on.
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Yup. Change of direction and acceleration are frequently more important than straight line speed, especially for a slot receiver.
 
All of them mentioned are worthy of recognition.

These "rankings" are really impossible to justify. Duke didn't have a line like we had this past year - or maybe his numbers would have been way higher.

Just like the Honorable Mentions.

Different teams, with different supporting casts. Different coaches, different coordinators - and different opponents.

They all did what they could with what they had to work with, within different teams.

Alter one variable - coordinator - teammates - lines - QB's - groupings - and everything changes their own trajectories.

To each, for everything they accomplished - I'm grateful.
 
caneingville said:
I’m almost positive Dan Morgan did play in ‘97. Pretty sure Butch switched him to LB from FB right at the end of camp and he played the whole season.
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I think you might be confusing Morgan for DJ Williams who came in freshman year and we had him playing FB then back to LB the following year. Could be wrong but I don’t recall Dan playing FB
 
Fzac75 said:
I think you might be confusing Morgan for DJ Williams who came in freshman year and we had him playing FB then back to LB the following year. Could be wrong but I don’t recall Dan playing FB
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No, Dan Morgan was originally a FB. I was in the same freshman class in ‘97 and lived on the same floor with those guys in Mahoney. And my roommate went to Taravella with Dan.

So two days into his career, he changed positions and began the hard work of fitting in.

"I came into college probably 210 pounds soaking wet, and I was a running back, and then they moved me to linebacker in like the second practice," And I was in linebacker drills, and we had big linebackers. I was skinny, but I was fast, and I remember being in an individual period and hitting one of our linebackers, and I was like, 'Oh, s---.' I'd better put on some weight.

www.panthers.com

"Hurricane DNA:" Even at a place like Miami, Dan Morgan stood out for his willingness to give it his all

The Panthers general manager was legendary for his intensity during his days as a Hurricanes linebacker, from his ability to make plays to setting a new standard to build upon.
www.panthers.com www.panthers.com
 
Since ChatGPT was readily at hand, I figured I would fill in some context by pulling stats:
  • Ray Lewis (1993) – (81 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 4 PBUs)
  • Duke Johnson (2012) – (947 rush yds, 10 TDs; 27 rec, 221 rec yds, 1 TD; 2 KR TDs)
  • Rueben Bain (2023) – (44 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 3 FF)
  • Malachi Toney (2025) – (84 rec, 970 rec yds, 7 TDs)

Honorable Mention
  • Stacy Coley (2013) – (33 rec, 591 rec yds, 7 TDs; 1 PR TD, 1 KR TD)
  • Reggie Wayne (1997) – (48 rec, 640 rec yds, 2 TDs)
  • Frank Gore (2001) – (62 att, 562 rush yds, 5 TDs; 9.1 YPC)
  • Francis Mauigoa (2023) – (13 starts at RT; Freshman All-American)
  • Edgerrin James (1996) – (71 att, 446 rush yds, 2 TDs; 6 rec, 90 rec yds)
  • Jason Fox (2006) – (Played as true freshman; future multi-year starter)
  • Brad Kaaya (2014) – (3,198 pass yds, 26 TDs, 12 INT; 59.2% comp.)
  • Bryce Fitzgerald (2025) – (Immediate starter/contributor; multiple INTs)

Forgotten but deserving:
  • Ahmmon Richards (2016) – (49 rec, 934 rec yds, 3 TDs; 19.1 YPC)
 
No love for Hester? Not sure what kind of season he had but I do remember the first time he touched the ball was the florida housecall.
 
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