On Thursday, the University of Miami officially announced the return of former running back and national champion Alonzo Highsmith. Highsmith joins the Hurricanes as their General Manager of Football Operations after serving for two seasons in Seattle as Senior Executive Advisor to the General Manager.
It will be a return home for Highsmith, 57, who spent his childhood in Miami, Florida area before going on to star for the hometown Hurricanes in college. At Miami, the running back was a four-year letterman, winning a national championship during his freshman year in 1983. He would lead the team in rushing his sophomore and senior seasons before getting selected third overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1987 NFL Draft.
“It is an honor to come back to the University of Miami and I am very humbled,” Highsmith said in a press release from the University of Miami. “The opportunity to work with Mario Cristobal and Dan Radakovich, as well as my passion and love for the city of Miami is what brought me back. I could not pass up this opportunity and this challenge.”
Highsmith spent 19 seasons in the Green Bay Packers player personnel department beginning in 1999, which is where he first crossed paths with Seahawks general manager John Schneider. Highsmith consulted for the Seahawks during the 2020 offseason before officially joining as a personnel executive. He had previously served as Vice President of Personnel for the Cleveland Browns between 2018-19.