Mohamed Toure’s college football journey isn’t ending anytime soon. The standout Miami linebacker is planning to return for the 2026 season, giving him a rare eighth year of eligibility, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and 247Sports’ Gaby Urrutia. The decision follows the Hurricanes’ run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and keeps one of their most productive defenders around for another year.
Toure’s return is technically legitimate under NCAA rules. He redshirted as a true freshman at Rutgers in 2019. Then, in 2020, the NCAA granted all players a free year of eligibility because of the pandemic-shortened season. On top of that, Toure lost two full seasons to ACL injuries while at Rutgers — in 2022 and again in 2024 — both of which resulted in medical redshirts.
Stacked together, those technicalities created an unusual path: a traditional redshirt, a COVID waiver and two medical redshirts. The result is an eighth season of college football for a player who first arrived on campus at Rutgers in January 2019 as a three-star recruit.
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Toure transferred to Miami in 2025 and immediately became a core piece of the defense. He led the Hurricanes with 84 tackles, including three for loss, two sacks and six pass breakups, while starting all 16 games. Miami leaned heavily on his experience throughout its playoff run, where he consistently showed up in high-pressure moments.
In the CFP, Toure recorded eight tackles against Texas A&M, seven against Ohio State in the quarterfinals, four in the semifinals against Ole Miss and matched a career-high with 11 tackles in the national title game loss to Indiana. One of the defining plays of Miami’s postseason came in the opening round, when he broke up a late pass at the goal line against Texas A&M to help preserve a Hurricanes win.
Toure’s return matters for a defense facing turnover. With Wesley Bissainthe declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, Miami loses a multi-year contributor in the middle of its linebacker room. Toure’s presence gives the unit an experienced anchor as younger players are pushed into larger roles.
The decision also reflects the modern structure of college football. With NIL opportunities and revenue sharing now part of the landscape, staying in school has become a realistic option for players with remaining eligibility who aren’t projected early-round NFL picks. For veterans like Toure, another year can offer both financial stability and a chance to improve draft positioning.
Eight seasons in college football isn’t normal. It’s not supposed to happen. But in Toure’s case, the rules allow it — and Miami is set to benefit from it.
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