Alex Highsmith and Trevor Lawrence took opposite paths to get where they are. Highsmith was a walk-on at Charlotte, a small school where he grinded and made enough of a name for himself to be selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Lawrence was a five-star, No. 1 overall recruit who went on to experience glory in college with a national title at a big school in Clemson, and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
But on Sept. 21, 2019, their paths collided when Charlotte took on Clemson in Death Valley, a game where the Tigers cruised to a 52-10 victory. But Highsmith sacked Lawrence that day, and made an impression on the young quarterback. Ahead of their first matchup in the NFL when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week Eight, Lawrence recalled their college matchup and how he knew that Highsmith would end up being a good NFL player.
‘They got Highsmith, who I played against actually in college, he went to UNC-Charlotte, which is just funny seeing him again and just the career he’s had. I knew he was gonna be a stud when we played him his senior year there, he was giving us fits,” Lawrence said in his press conference today, via the Jacksonville Jaguars YouTube channel. “I remember playing Charlotte and he was the guy that was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s gonna be really, really good.’”
When the 4-2 Steelers and 5-2 Jaguars meet on Sunday, it’ll be the first time that Highsmith and Lawrence have played each other since their college matchup. Lawrence has since gone on to establish himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, leading the Jaguars to a playoff win last year and turning the franchise’s fortunes around. Highsmith has steadily improved throughout his career and was rewarded with a four-year, $68-million contract after a 14.5-sack season with Pittsburgh last year.
It’ll be a cool reunion between the two, who despite taking different paths to get to where they are, have each found NFL success. When the Steelers and Jaguars meet on Sunday, it’ll be a matchup between two AFC contenders looking to continue their winning streaks, with Pittsburgh winning two in a row and Jacksonville coming off its fourth straight win after beating the New Orleans Saints last Thursday night.
Highsmith hasn’t brought down the quarterback as much as he did last season, as he’s registered just two sacks through six games this season. But he has experience sacking Lawrence, and Sunday could be a good game to add to that total.
