A significant honor for Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, who will have his No. 34 jersey retired by Ashley High School this Friday night. As announced on the football team’s Twitter page, Highsmith will be celebrated between the school’s varsity basketball games.
As tweeted by Alex Highsmith’s father Sam, Highsmith persevered through a tough high school career. His squad went winless his senior season and never finished above .500 during his time there, though there were occasional notable victories.
The school’s lack of success played a role in Highsmith being largely overlooked as a college recruit. He walked onto Charlotte, working his way up the depth chart to earn a scholarship.
Miscast as a defensive end for most of his college career, he switched to outside linebacker his senior season. Highsmith broke out during a 15-sack campaign with a notable performance against Clemson. Pittsburgh selected him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Replacing an injured Bud Dupree late in his rookie season, Highsmith finished with his first year with a pair of sacks. After becoming a full-time starter in 2021, Highsmith improved year-by-year, recording six sacks in 2021 before busting out for 14.5 in 2022, making up for T.J. Watt’s absence. It earned him a long-term contract extension with the Steelers last summer.
With Watt’s 2023 return, Highsmith’s production leveled off, and he finished this season with just seven sacks. But his pressure rate was high, and he finished second on the team with 18 QB hits.
Ashley High School football found a bit of traction shortly after Highsmith graduated, improving from 0-10 to 3-8 and 3-7 the following two years. But the Screaming Eagles regressed near the start of the decade, going winless in 2019 (0-11) and 2020 (0-6). However, the school turned things around in 2023 with their first winning record since Highsmith left, going 7-5 and pulling off a playoff upset before a narrow second-round defeat.
In addition to his jersey retirement, there will be an auction of a Highsmith autographed jersey and football to support Ashley athletics.
