Miami’s Malachi Toney and Cincinnati’s MJ Cannon Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week – Week 8 (Oct. 27)
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for games ending October 24.
About the Award: This is the 23rd year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. It is the nation’s longest-running Player of Week award.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore, Wide Receiver, Liberty City, FL
The ACC Offensive Receiver of the Week, Malachi Toney set a Miami single-game record with 16 receptions for 194 yards and three touchdowns in the top-ranked Hurricanes’ 52-23 win over ACC-rival Pittsburgh. Toney broke his own program record of 13 receptions (set in 2025). He caught 12 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, and finished the game with scoring receptions of 19, 53 and 11 yards. His performance helped Miami improve to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in ACC play.
Notes: It is the second time this season that Toney has earned Player of Week honors (Week #1 – Sept. 8). It is also the eighth time since 2004 that a Miami player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RS Senior, Defensive Back, Evanston, IL
Defensive back MJ Cannon led Cincinnati to a 37-24 win over eighth-ranked Texas Tech, with eight tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and one pass breakup. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, Cannon’s forced turnovers came on key drives, with a forced fumble to open the game and the interception to close the first half that set up the Bearcats for a touchdown. With the win, the Bearcats improved to 5-2, 2-2 in the Big 12.
Notes: It is the third time since 2004 that a Cincinnati player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors. Cannon is the first defensive honoree since former Bearcat defensive end Jarell White on Nov. 15, 2020.
Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.
The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 25 awards have honored more than 1,000 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
