MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — There will be a new starting quarterback at Miami next season, new starters on the offensive and defensive lines, a new kicker and probably a slew of other depth chart changes between now and September.
Mark Fletcher Jr. says he'll be back, though. And Malachi Toney should be there as well.
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Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney scores against Indiana during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney scores against Indiana during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. celebrates after scoring with quarterback Carson Beck during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. scores against Indiana during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
No matter who is at quarterback next fall, meet the leaders of the Miami offense for 2026. They did all they could Monday night, combining to score three touchdowns — two on the ground by the workhorse running back in Fletcher, the other a catch-and-run by the electrifying wide receiver in Toney — for the Hurricanes in what became their 27-21 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
“It's not the result we wanted," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "Credit to Indiana. They're a great football team. ... It's a tough one. A tough one to have to eat, but we will."
Fletcher finished the season with 1,192 yards rushing — 507 of them in the four playoff games, the most that any player had in any season in CFP contests. Toney finished the season with 109 catches, the most in the country. They were among the many bright spots in a 13-3 season for Miami, one where the Hurricanes were all but written off in November and wound up playing for a title.
“I can't understate what these guys have done,” Cristobal said.
Fletcher and Toney had a ton of help this season: Carson Beck was stellar in his lone season as Miami's quarterback, Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor were among the best defensive linemen in the country and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa is universally considered a first-round draft lock.
“A lot of moments are going to be cherished,” Bain said.
They'll be gone next fall. Fletcher and Toney won't just be stars next season. They'll have to lead, too.
They're both South Florida kids, went to the same high school in American Heritage, both have the sort of stories that endear themselves to Hurricane fans and even non-Hurricane fans. Fletcher lost his father last season and his mother has become a bit of a celebrity because she drives to every game, regardless of where it is. Toney should still be in high school, a kid who reclassified to get to Miami early. They came to Miami to win a national championship.
They barely missed.
Miami was down 10-0 at the half and had almost nothing going on the offensive side of the ball — that is, until Fletcher breathed life into the building with a 57-yard touchdown run that got the Hurricanes within three early in the third quarter.
That became a trend for Miami. An unfortunate trend, as it turned out. The Hurricanes would score, but only getting within a field goal every time.
Fletcher's first TD of the night cut the Indiana lead to 10-7. He rumbled in again on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting the Indiana lead to 17-14. Toney scored with 6:37 left, cutting the Indiana lead to 24-21.
“We had an opportunity, all the way to the end,” Cristobal said.
The Hurricanes got the ball back for one more chance with 1:42 left, down 27-21. They were driving, but Indiana intercepted Beck's final pass as a Hurricane with 44 seconds left. And with that, Miami's hope of a national title were officially gone.
Fletcher stayed in the end zone long after the final horn. Even in that moment, he had one more thing to do: he was waiting to see his family.
“They were the first ones I wanted to hug,” Fletcher said.
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Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney scores against Indiana during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney scores against Indiana during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. celebrates after scoring with quarterback Carson Beck during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. scores against Indiana during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
CHICAGO (AP) — Jonathan Toews exhaled and then laughed and shook his head in disbelief as the standing ovation continued for four-plus minutes. “All right, all right,” he said before taking another lap in front of the cheering crowd.
Toews returned to Chicago on Monday night with his hometown Winnipeg Jets, but it was clear that his first NHL city still counts him as one of its own.
Toews waved and patted his heart as he was showered with cheers and chants of “Jonny! Jonny!” during a timeout in the first period. It was his first game at the United Center since he signed with the Jets on July 1.
The 37-year-old center spent his first 15 seasons with the Blackhawks, winning three Stanley Cup titles.
“I tried to do my best to take it all in and really savor it. To really appreciate the love from the fans,” Toews said. "Obviously, I spent some special years here in Chicago and that’s what made playing for the Blackhawks so great. Winning championships and all of that stuff aside, just playing for a sports team in this city and calling this home for as long as I did was just incredible. I can’t thank them enough. It will always be home and has a special place in my heart.”
There was a noticeable buzz when Toews and the Jets took the ice for pregame warmups. There was a big cheer when he was introduced with the starting lineup and once again when he was shown on the videoboard during Canada's national anthem.
The Blackhawks showed a Toews highlight video during a break in the action with 12:23 left in the first. Dotted with No. 19 Toews jerseys and holding posters that read WELCOME BACK 19, the crowd of 19,894 stood and cheered throughout the tribute.
When the video ended, Toews jumped on the ice to acknowledge the ovation, and it just kept going as the rest of the Jets and the Blackhawks looked on.
“It felt like forever. I’m not sure what to do after a while in that situation," Toews said after Winnipeg's 2-0 loss. "The boys kept telling me to do another lap. Pretty special.”
Toews was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 pick in the 2006 draft, one of the first big moments in the team’s rise to the top of the NHL. He was just 20 years old when he became the 34th captain in team history in July 2008.
Toews was part of a core group that helped Chicago put together the best stretch in franchise history, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. The Blackhawks also made it to the Western Conference finals in 2014, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in an epic seven-game series.
“I definitely had a lot of will, a lot of energy coming into my career as a young kid here in Chicago, but it was just a perfect storm," Toews said. "We had so many great players that were finding themselves and finding their careers at the same time.”
The Blackhawks celebrated those Stanley Cup teams on Saturday night as part of the festivities surrounding the franchise's centennial season. Toews caught up with a handful of his former teammates on Sunday, and Kris Versteeg and Andrew Shaw sounded the horn before the opening faceoff on Monday night.
Once nicknamed “Captain Serious” — a reputation that faded away as he showed more of his personality over the years — Toews missed the 2020-21 season and part of the 2022-23 season with what he described as symptoms of long COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome.
The Blackhawks announced before their 2023 season finale that it would be Toews' last game with the team, and he was showered with cheers throughout a 5-4 loss to Philadelphia.
“He’s the one teammate I’ve ever had where you go out with him in public and people won’t just say they’re a ‘big fan.’ They’ll almost give an emotional thank you to him,” Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy said. “They’ll literally say, ‘Thank you for making my life better.’ That’s what people will say to him.”
After taking a couple years off, Toews is adjusting to life with Winnipeg in his return to the NHL. He scored in four consecutive games before he was kept off the scoresheet during Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto.
"I think as time went along I’ve been able to feel more comfortable and just find my game and settle in and find a role on this team,” he said.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews waves to the crowd during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews greets to the crowd during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews waves to the crowd during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews waves to the crowd during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Hockey fans hold a sign for Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) as he warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Winnipeg Jets' Jonathan Toews (19) tries to tip the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby, right, during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
