Miami officially announces alumnus Alonzo Highsmith as new GM of football operations

Alonzo Highsmith is home.

On Thursday, Miami confirmed the rumors, officially announcing the former Hurricanes star is returning to the program as their new general manager of football operations.

Welcome home Alonzo Highsmith!

He joins the staff as our new general manager of football operations.

More: https://t.co/e1wdWUVZ3s pic.twitter.com/yU6Jj6EGqX

— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) May 26, 2022

“The University of Miami has hired longtime National Football League executive and Hurricanes great Alonzo Highsmith as general manager of football operations, head football coach Mario Cristobal announced Thursday,” wrote the program.

Highsmith, 57-years old, will work 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 will be overseeing all recruiting operations. Highsmith will be in Miami to begin his new role on Monday.

“Alonzo is a true Miami Hurricane,” Cristobal said, via Miami.. “He understands the commitment and sacrifice it takes to be a champion on and off the field. His tremendous passion for the University of Miami and this city is unparalleled.

“Alonzo brings experience as a student-athlete, a first-round NFL draft pick and an NFL executive. He shares our vision for the trajectory and the culture of this football program, and his knowledge and experience will allow him to make a positive and powerful impact on our program and community. I am fired up to welcome home another Miami Hurricane!”

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).

“It is an honor to come back to the University of Miami and I am very humbled,” Highsmith said, per the program. “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.”

Continuing, Highsmith was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. 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).

On3’s Wade Peery contributed to this article.