Miami fans are more than a little upset that their star wide receiver will miss the game against Notre Dame. Malachi Toney is reportedly undergoing surgery for an ankle injury and will likely miss the game in South Bend.
However, Irish defensive back Leonard Moore isn't feeling much pity for Hurricanes fans. In fact, he had some words of wisdom about this time of year. Speaking to the media this week, he laid out what a long football season really looks like.
"Nobody across the country is 100% at this point, so I feel like everybody is dealing with something," the Notre Dame star explained. He then made it clear that he knows where he's speaking from.
"I'm never gonna be 100% probably past week five, week six. But come game day, I'm gonna be as close to 100% as I can be.”
Leonard Moore says Notre Dame football and Miami are both battling late-season injuries
Moore has missed several games this season with a concussion. He also missed last week's win over Navy because his back was barking. While he won't be 100%, Notre Dame is clearly hoping to get the star defensive back as close to 100% as possible before taking on Miami.
Moore is far from the only Irish player who isn't 100%, and several players will likely miss the game against the Canes. Linebacker Drak Bowen suffered an injury against the Midshipmen and is likely out until the College Football Playoff. Safety Brauntae Johnson has been out since the second half of the season opener, and cornerback DJ McKinney is also out for the foreseeable future.
While the Malachi Toney injury is the kind of pain that's going to linger for a while for Miami fans, they don't have any room to complain if it means that they lose on Saturday night. The Irish will be going into a game that will make or break their season wondering just how close to healthy Moore is and knowing that several other players like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Luke Talich are trying to play through injuries as well.
That's also why Notre Dame should have hoped that Toney was 100% when the two teams faced off, but his being hurt isn't "why" the Fighting Irish will win, if they end up knocking off the No. 1 team in the country.
“Nobody across the country is 100% at this point, so I feel like everybody dealing with something. I'm never gonna be 100% probably past week five, week six. But come game day, i'm gonna be as close to 100% as i can be.”
— Talia Baia (@taliaontv) November 4, 2026
Leonard Moore on returning full force from his concussion pic.twitter.com/5XjjFR7fjf
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