Miami stacked three Associated Press All-America selections Monday, with offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa earning first-team honors and edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and wide receiver Malachi Toney landing on the second team.
Mauigoa anchored an offensive line that powered Miami’s ground game into the top tier of the conference. The Hurricanes logged 2,456 rushing yards, averaged 188.9 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry, and punched in 30 rushing touchdowns. The profile fits Mauigoa’s calling card: heavy hands, clean angles, and a steady finish that turns good runs into chain-movers. Mauigoa also grabbed first-team recognition from the Walter Camp Football Foundation last week, giving him multiple major-outlet stamps heading into postseason play.
Bain, an second-team edge rusher, lived in backfields all year. Miami’s staff leaned on him as the tone-setter up front, and the ACC rewarded that production with Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. Bain closed the regular season with 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, plus an interception and a forced fumble. Walter Camp voters placed Bain on their first team as well.
Toney’s selection might carry the loudest long-term echo. The freshman wideout caught 84 passes for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, led all FBS freshmen in receptions, and set a Miami freshman single-season receiving record. He added four 100-yard games and stacked nine outings with at least 60 receiving yards, then collected ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Miami found a weekly problem for coverage structures at just 18 years old.
Miami’s All-Americans travel to face Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff first round on Saturday. Mauigoa’s protection and run-game leverage, Bain’s edge pressure, and Toney’s volume-plus-explosiveness now a national championship resume for the Hurricanes.
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