Malachi Toney, Lamont Lester Jr. earn major award after outstanding Week 1 performances

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It was a great Week 1 in college football for Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney and Colorado defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr.

Toney helped Miami crush Stanford 45-6 on Sept. 4, finishing with 12 receptions for 234 yards and three touchdowns. He set a school record for most receiving yards in one game.

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Lester Jr. was a big part of Colorado’s 14-13 road win over Georgia Tech on Sept. 3. He finished with five tackles and three sacks. His three sacks represented the most by a Colorado player in a debut game since 2003.

These performances from Toney and Lester Jr. earned them Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors.

Malachi Toney’s Miami tenure

This is Toney’s second season with Miami after he burst onto the scene as a freshman last year. He was fantastic, finishing with 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added another 113 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

Toney is one of the best wide receivers in the country and will be in the Heisman Trophy conversation throughout the season.

Lamont Lester Jr. makes an immediate impact

Lester Jr. transferred to Colorado when the portal opened during the winter. He spent the 2025 season with FCS Monmouth, finishing with 37 total tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defended.

He was ready for more challenging competition and is already off to a great start with his new team. He’ll try to help Colorado get to 2-0 when it plays Weber State at home this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Toney will look to build on his performance when Miami plays Florida A&M on Thursday.

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