Miami Hurricanes Executive Hired by New England Patriots for Key Front Office Position — 2023–24 Postseason
The Jerod Mayo era will start in the fall of 2021, and the New England Patriots will keep adding players to their hierarchy. Following 24 years of play under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots are going through strange times, which include a lot of personnel changes across the board. New England introduced a new component to their front office on Wednesday. The AFC East team will appoint Miami Hurricanes general manager Alonzo Highsmith to an executive position, according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.
Alonzo Highsmith, general manager of the University of Miami, is being hired by the New England Patriots to work in the front office.
The Patriots also brought on Jeremy Spring as special teams coordinator and Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator in addition to Mayo and Highsmith. DeMarcus Covington was also elevated to defensive coordinator in the interim.
Highsmith played running back for the Miami Hurricanes from 1983 to 1986, rushing for 1,873 yards and 18 touchdowns while helping the team win the championship as a freshman. After six seasons in the NFL, Highsmith transitioned to boxing, where he compiled a 27–1–2 record over four years. The Florida native landed his first front-office gig with the Green Bay Packers, earning the title of Senior Personnel Executive in 2012. He transitioned to Vice President of Player Personnel with the Cleveland Browns in 2018, where he spent two seasons.
As a personnel executive, Highsmith joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2020. In 2022, Highsmith made the switch to collegiate football and assumed the role of general manager of football operations with the Miami Hurricanes, amid an unprecedented period of NIL and player pay. During his tenure, Miami gave out a massive NIL of contacts, but the ACC team only managed a disappointing 12-13 record.
The New England Patriots, who have a 69% winning rate after 24 seasons, six Super Bowl rings, and a new bench boss, will take over in fall. But in their penultimate season—their last with future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick at the helm—the Patriots faltered. With an average of 13.9 points per game, which is the second-lowest in the NFL, New England went 4-13 and finished last in the AFC East. The quarterback
