Highsmith becomes first 49er to earn AP all-America honors

Charlotte 49ers redshirt senior defensive end Alex Highsmith has been named third team all-America by the Associated Press (AP), becoming the first 49ers football player to be so honored. Highsmith also earned first team all-Conference USA honors for the second straight season.

The 49ers undisputed sack king, Highsmith ranks second in the nation in sacks (14.0) and fourth in tackles for loss (TFL) (21.5) while leading C-USA in both categories. He set school records for sacks in a game (4.5), season (14.0) and career (20.0) and TFL in a game (5.0) and season (21.5) during the 2019 campaign. He finished the regular season with a career-high 68 tackles, a team-high eight quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

A 2019 team captain, Highsmith was on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List as a candidate for the nation’s Defensive Player of the Year. He is on the Burlsworth Trophy Watch List for the award given to the top collegiate player that began his career as a walk-on.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) tabbed him as a third team all-American, and he was listed on PFF’s C-USA Team of the Week five times and was a PFF first team all-C-USA selection. According to PFF, he recorded the second-best PFF pass-rushing grade (91.9) and overall grade (90.0) among qualifying C-USA edge defenders.

In the regular-season finale at Old Dominion, Highsmith had a career-high 12 tackles with school records for sacks (4.5) and TFL (5.0) to be named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.

He becomes the first 49ers football player to earn all-America honors in the seven-year history of the program. Highsmith’s season will continue, Dec. 20, at the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl. The 49ers will face Buffalo in Charlotte’s first-ever bowl game.