North Carolina · W 38-35
3 catches, 48 yards
The other 7 games average 27 yards. This one was 21 above.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
“Lofton is gunna be a freak in the NFL”
5 stories in the last 30 days, from 3 outlets.
Does Miami Hurricanes’ Elija Lofton Deserve More National Recognition?
Yahoo Sports Nov 3
Elija Lofton
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Three seasons in the Miami receiving corps to date. One game to point at: 48 receiving yards and 3 receptions against North Carolina — Week 9, 2026.
236 receiving yards · 20 catches · 2 receiving TD
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 3 outlets
Does Miami Hurricanes’ Elija Lofton Deserve More National Recognition?
Yahoo Sports Nov 3 · 1 outlet
from 9 outlets
Elija Lofton injury update: Latest news after Miami TE exits game
The Palm Beach Post +1 Sep 18 · 2 outlets
State of The U +12026 Position Preview: Tight End + Storm Cellar on Elija LoftonAug 11
Locked OnMiami Hurricanes vs. Stanford—Elija Lofton and Omar Thornton SET to explodeSep 3
247SportsElija Lofton, Ryan Rodriguez, Marquise Lightfoot and Chase Smith review FSU, preview PittsburghOct 20Yahoo Sports
Sports Illustrated
On3
Miami HurricanesState of The U +1On3Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Against North Carolina on Oct. 31: 3 catches for 48 yards. In the 8 games drawn here: 20 catches for 236 yards. Miami has thrown to him 25 times in 256 passes.
Each game is split into its four quarters, so the columns line up from game to game; inside a quarter, plays keep their order. Third and fourth downs are marked under the line, bold when he moved the chains.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 48 receiving yards, 3 catches.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-6@ Stanford | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 2 | W 77-7vs Florida A&M | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 3 | W 33-20@ Wake Forest | 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 1 | 21 | |
| Wk 4 | W 52-3vs Central Michigan | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 | 31 | |
| Wk 5 | W 41-13@ Clemson | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 7 | W 43-35vs Florida State | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 1 | 20 | |
| Wk 8 | W 52-23vs Pittsburgh | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 24 | |
| Wk 9 | W 38-35@ North Carolina | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 0 | 19 | Season-high 48 yds |
| Total | 20 | 236 | 11.8 | 2 | 31 |
Week 3 · 2026
W 33-20
at Wake Forest
The plays that mattered most
367th in receiving yards, among all 2,086 FBS players with a receiving row this season, any position
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
2510% of team targetsCatch rate
80%20 of 25 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
80% catch rate on 25 targets · 10% of the team's targets.
3 seasons under Mario Cristobal, all balanced offenses — 31-6 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.0 | 25.2 | 12.7 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 3.0 | 33.8 | 12.3 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.5 | 26.7 | 11.6 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.5 | 38.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mario Cristobal
Pass share
47.3%
259 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
68.5
8 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
285 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS tight end who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #46 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #13 of 22 ACC TEs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 28 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Mario Cristobal.
