Alonzo Highsmith states getting winning Miami football culture critical

In an appearance on the Brett Romberg Show on 1210 the Man in Palm Beach Alonzo Highsmith told the host of the eponymous show that the Miami football program needs to scout and sign players who make those around them better.

Head coach Manny Diaz has frequently spoken about changing the culture in the locker of the Miami football program in the 373 days since he was hired to replace Mark Richt. Diaz has created the culture he wants on the defensive side of the football but is still working on getting to that point offensively.

During an appearance on former Miami center Brett Romberg‘s morning show on Tuesday on 1210 The Man in Palm Beach former Hurricanes running back Alonzo Highsmith discussed the possibility of joining the Miami football staff and what he brings to the table. Highsmith played for Miami from 1983-86.

Highsmith spent about 17 minutes with Romberg who was the center on the 2001 National Championship Miami football team. Romberg and Highsmith share the oddity being native Canadians with played with Miami. There has been a lot of pushback from the Miami fan base about hiring Highsmith.

Highsmith spoke to Romberg about the possibility of joining the Miami football staff, his vision as an NFL Executive and scout and what Miami should be looking for when they are recruiting. There have been rumors about Highsmith joining the Miami coaching staff but nothing sustained yet.

"“You are able to look at things from a different perspective than the head coach and you can say what you saw, what you think needs to improve, talking to players one-on-one and identifying little issues and making sure those things are corrected within the organization.I have always said this, and I got this from Ron Wolf, no matter what your title is, at the end of the day, I consider myself a scout and a talent evaluator. The only thing that matters in the NFL is evaluating talent. The teams that bring in the good players and draft well are consistent winners.The University of Miami sits in the middle of the most fertile recruiting area in the history of college football. All you have to do is look at the NFL and see how many players are from the state of Florida and south Florida. It blows your mind away.I think it comes down to making sure you evaluate the type of players that fit your program and the type of players that you want for your team because there is enough players for Miami, Florida, and Florida State. I have always thought that South Florida kids are different than any other kids around the country.I just think they are made different in South Florida. If you can keep that talent in Miami, you are going to win a lot of games…Every school in the nation has an eye on Miami because it is a recruiting area. We just have to get that right.There are true five-star players…My philosophy on a five-star player is guys like Adrian Peterson, [Trevor Lawrence] at Clemson, [Derek Stingley] at LSU. Those are five-star players. When you say a five-star player, I am expecting you to be the elite of the elite.To me it would be impossible to say a 5-feet-10 and 180 pound corner is the top corner in the nation. I don’t know how you make that assertion. I think it comes down to always evaluating and making sure you are turning over every rock for those players. The number one criteria I’m looking for from great players is efficacy.That means the power to affect other people and make others great around you. I’ve always felt that my greatest strength as a football player was making people around me better. You make people around you better with your work ethic and being a good teammate.Then that becomes infectious on a team and everybody is pushing each other to get better. I want people to change things because of their work ethic. Those are the type of kids we must recruit to be a better football team.”I don’t think anybody is going to be successful without talent…That is the bottom line. As long as your recruiting process is right and you are teaching the young people who are cutting up film to evaluate what good players are—you have to have been around great players to understand what great players are.If you haven’t been around great players, it is hard to tell what a great player is.”"

The interview was transcribed by Andrew Ivins of Inside the U. Miami has the talent on their roster to succeed. Some of the Hurricanes players, particularly on offense have reportedly not been able to fully grasp the playbook enough to contribute fully. The 2020 Miami signing class reportedly has a high football IQ.

Miami is going to need that going forward. The behavior of some of the Miami players both on and off the field have not been up to the standards of previous eras of the Hurricanes. Getting the players to buy into what Manny Diaz, Blake Baker and now Rhett Lashlee are building are critical to building a winning program.