Alonzo Highsmith pens farewell to Miami after joining New England Patriots front office
Alonzo Highsmith has decided to leave the Miami Hurricanes and join the New England Patriots front office. He made the news official on Wednesday evening and decided to say goodbye to the Miami Hurricanes.
Highsmith was hired to be the ‘Canes first ever GM of football operations. The former Miami star penned a farewell note to the Hurricanes on Wednesday evening via social media.
“I’d like to say thank you to the University of Miami and all the athletes that made my job so special. I will miss all the players coming by my office everyday and just talking about life & football. Change is part of LIFE but it’s your time now to go be GREAT,” he tweeted on Wednesday afternoon.
Highsmith, 58-years old, worked alongside the Hurricanes’ head coach Mario Cristobal and new athletic director Dan Radakovich in a scouting-intensive role. According to the Miami Herald, the former Miami fullback oversaw all recruiting operations. He also supported many different administrative functions of the football program, budget-related items, and program imaging. Highsmith also acted as a liaison between the administration and football program, serving as a liaison between former Miami players and staff.
Most recently, the former NFL executive served as a senior executive advisor to Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider. During his playing days with Miami, Highsmith helped lead the Hurricanes to their first national title in 1983 under head coach Howard Schnellenberger.
He finished his collegiate career with 1,914 rushing yards (third in school history), 2,935 all-purpose rushing yards (fifth in school history), 25 career touchdowns (tied for fourth place in school history), and five 100-yard rushing games (tied for second in school history).
In 1997, Highsmith was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. One of the top running backs in Hurricanes school history — he was great at both blocking and catching passes in the open field.
The Hurricanes legend was also recently a candidate for the athletic director position at Miami that went to Dan Radakovich. Highsmith was also nearly hired in a Hurricanes football administrator/general manager type role after previous head coach Manny Diaz’s first season in 2019.
As a player in the National Football League, he suited up for three different teams–the Houston Oilers (1987-1989), the Dallas Cowboys (1990-1991), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1991-1992). When he was drafted by the Houston Oilers with the third overall selection in the 1987 NFL Draft, Highsmith became the highest-drafted running back in Hurricanes football history.