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Hurricanes ‘counting on’ Josh Moore to be next breakout receiver
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- Hurricanes ‘counting on’ Josh Moore to be next breakout receiver
CORAL GABLES — Miami wide receiver Josh Moore is close friends with Malachi Toney . The pair of Broward County stars enrolled at UM together before the 2025 season.
But Toney had a breakout season as a freshman, becoming one of the nation's top players and helping the Hurricanes reach the national title game. Moore played a role in his first year, but he was a rotational wide receiver and played the fourth-most snaps at the position.
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Watching Toney succeed last year has been encouraging for the former West Broward standout.
"Seeing someone I came in with, someone I call my brother — that's my brother; we're real close," Moore said. "Seeing him go up, it just motivated me. I can go up, too. I can do it, too. We both could be at the top."
As Moore enters his second season at UM, the Hurricanes are relying on him to take the next step and become a premier wide receiver.
"We're counting on him," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "…. We've always felt, all since the day we recruited him, that he was going to be and is going to be a big-time player here."
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Although Moore did not break out as a star last season, he did contribute to the Hurricanes' offense. He finished the season with 16 catches for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Against USF, he caught three passes for 61 yards and both of those scores. Cristobal also gave him credit for his work in the running game in the postseason.
Moore dealt with a minor injury early in spring camp, but he has since returned to full participation and made his share of good plays.
"This year, I feel like I'm improving on everything: route running, communication, being a leader, being inside of the building more when I'm not supposed to," Moore said. "So just everything, getting better at every aspect of my game."
Miami wide receiver coach Kevin Beard said he is pleased with Moore's progress, but he wants to see more consistency from the rising sophomore.
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"There's a lot of plays that we expect him to make, and I know he expects himself to make," Beard said. "There's a lot of big plays, but I want to see the consistency every play. And I tell them all the time: The NFL is going to pay you a lot of money to make plays, and they're going to reward consistency. So the plays here and there, good. But we've got to get to a point where it's a no-brainer. When that ball's in the air going to No. 3, everybody knows that he's coming down with it."
The Hurricanes have a loaded wide receiver room entering the season. In addition to the returning Toney, Miami added 1,000-yard receiver Cooper Barkate via the transfer portal. The Hurricanes also brought in Vandrevius Jacobs ( South Carolina ) aand Cam Vaughn ( West Virginia ), who had solid seasons at their prior schools. UM returns fellow sophomore Daylyn Upshaw, and they added several freshmen who are pushing for playing time.
But Moore offers a tantalizing combination: He is 6-4, and he's fast. If he can fully tap into his ability, he could be a major part of the Hurricanes' offense in 2026.
"He's not a freshman anymore," Cristobal said. "So we need maturity, physicality, durability, all that good stuff and (for him to) use all 6-4, 6-5 of that body and go up and make plays and be just as physical in the running game."
