Charlotte 49ers R-Sr. defensive end Alex Highsmith (Wilmington, N.C.) has been nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy which is awarded to the most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field.
Highsmith joined the the 49ers as a walk-on in 2015 and was awarded a scholarship in the summer of 2017, following his red-shirt freshman season.
He has since gone on to become the 49ers all-time sack king, earn first team all-Conference USA honors, land on the Chuck Bednarik Watch List, be tabbed by every preseason publication as one of the top players in C-USA and garner rave reviews from opponents like Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.