Before Patrick Peterson helped turn No. 7 into one of the most famous jerseys in LSU football, Ali Highsmith wore it for four seasons while becoming one of the Tigers’ most productive linebackers of the 2000s.

Highsmith played for LSU from 2004 through 2007 and developed from a freshman contributor into an All America leader of the 2007 national championship defense. He appeared in 52 games, made 38 starts and started the final 28 games of his LSU career. He finished with 260 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 13 pass breakups and one interception.

His final season ended exactly where an LSU career should. Highsmith produced one of his best performances against Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game, helping LSU win its second national title of the decade.

That combination of production, leadership, longevity and championship success earns Ali Highsmith the No. 90 spot among LSU Football Report’s Top 100 LSU Tigers of all time.

From Miami to Baton Rouge

Highsmith grew up in Miami and played at Miami Central High School, where he became one of Florida’s better linebacker prospects.

As a senior, he recorded 90 tackles, seven sacks, eight forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. He returned three of those recoveries for touchdowns. As a junior, Highsmith had 90 tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions while helping a Miami Central defense that LSU later credited with allowing only 3.9 points per game during the 2002 season.

Highsmith was a four year letterman and also competed in basketball and track. His athletic background showed in his ability to pursue plays from sideline to sideline, a trait that would become an important part of his game at LSU.

Football also ran in his family. His cousin, Alonzo Highsmith, starred at Miami before becoming a first round NFL Draft pick and playing professionally for seven seasons.

Ali originally signed with Miami in 2003 but did not enroll there. His college football path eventually brought him to Baton Rouge, where he would become a four year contributor and one of the defensive leaders of a national championship team.

Getting on the Field Immediately

Highsmith did not spend his first LSU season watching.

As a freshman in 2004, he appeared in all 12 games and made two starts at strong side linebacker. He finished with 21 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. He also intercepted a pass against Arkansas State.

His two starts came against Mississippi State and Georgia. Against Mississippi State, Highsmith recorded a season high six tackles.

LSU already had an experienced defense, so Highsmith was not expected to become the centerpiece immediately. What he did accomplish was important. He proved he could play SEC football and positioned himself for a much larger role as a sophomore.

That opportunity came quickly.

The Breakout Begins in 2005

Highsmith became LSU’s starting weak side linebacker in 2005 and immediately developed into one of the defense’s most productive players.

He appeared in all 13 games with nine starts and finished second on the team with 75 tackles. Highsmith also recorded 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles. His four sacks led all LSU linebackers.

One of his most memorable plays came against Vanderbilt, when he recovered a fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown.

His best performance of the season came against Florida in Tiger Stadium.

Highsmith recorded eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as LSU defeated the No. 11 Gators 21 to 17. Florida managed only 206 total yards, including 99 rushing yards.

The performance earned Highsmith SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

It was the first major individual recognition of his LSU career and a clear indication that No. 7 was becoming one of the Tigers’ most important defenders.

A Leader on an Elite 2006 Defense

Highsmith entered 2006 as an established starter and became one of the leaders of a defense filled with future NFL talent.

He started all 13 games and recorded 63 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also broke up four passes and forced two fumbles.

The SEC coaches selected Highsmith Second Team All SEC, and he was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which honors the nation’s top linebacker.

Highsmith produced several strong performances during the season. He recorded eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks against Fresno State. Against Florida, he finished with seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. He added 10 tackles during LSU’s overtime victory over Ole Miss.

The season ended with LSU facing Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Highsmith recorded five tackles as LSU overwhelmed the Fighting Irish 41 to 14.

LSU finished 11 and 2 and entered the following season as a legitimate national championship contender. Highsmith would be one of the players expected to lead the way.

No. 7 Before the No. 7 Tradition

Highsmith wore No. 7 throughout his LSU career.

That is an important part of his place in LSU history because he wore the number before the school began deliberately passing it from one elite playmaker to another.

Patrick Peterson took No. 7 beginning in 2008, immediately after Highsmith’s career ended. Peterson’s success and the later handoff to Tyrann Mathieu helped create the modern tradition associated with the jersey.

Highsmith therefore occupies a unique place in the history of the number.

He was not selected as LSU’s honorary No. 7 because that tradition did not yet exist. He simply wore the number and produced like one of the great players who would later make it famous.

For four seasons, No. 7 belonged to a linebacker who recorded 260 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks while helping LSU win a national championship.

A Championship Senior Season

Highsmith entered 2007 as one of the unquestioned leaders of LSU’s defense.

He started all 14 games and produced the best statistical season of his career. Highsmith finished with 101 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, eight pass breakups, nine quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

His 101 tackles tied safety Craig Steltz for LSU’s team lead after the postseason was completed.

The Tigers were loaded on defense. Glenn Dorsey became one of the most decorated defensive linemen in college football. Steltz earned All America recognition. Chevis Jackson, Tyson Jackson, Darry Beckwith, Jonathan Zenon and several others helped LSU field one of the deepest defenses in the country.

Highsmith was right in the middle of it.

The SEC coaches unanimously selected him First Team All SEC. CBSSports.com named him a First Team All American, while the Associated Press selected him Second Team All America. He was also a Butkus Award semifinalist for the second consecutive season.

Nineteen Tackles Against Arkansas

One of Highsmith’s greatest individual performances came in a game LSU would rather forget.

The Tigers entered the 2007 regular season finale ranked No. 1 and faced Arkansas in Tiger Stadium.

Arkansas won 50 to 48 in three overtimes, but Highsmith produced a career high 19 tackles. Fifteen of those were solo stops.

LSU noted afterward that it was the most tackles by a Tiger in one game since Charles Smith recorded 21 against Houston in 1999.

The loss appeared to crush LSU’s national championship hopes.

A week later, everything changed.

LSU defeated Tennessee 21 to 14 to win the SEC Championship. A series of losses by teams ahead of LSU then moved the Tigers into the BCS National Championship Game.

Highsmith and LSU were getting one more opportunity.

One Last Game in New Orleans

LSU faced No. 1 Ohio State for the national championship on January 7, 2008, inside the Louisiana Superdome.

Highsmith saved one of the best performances of his career for his final LSU game.

He led the Tigers with eight tackles and was credited with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

His biggest play came in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State faced fourth and seven from the LSU 34 while trying to cut into LSU’s lead. Quarterback Todd Boeckman scrambled to his right, but Highsmith tracked him down.

Highsmith sacked Boeckman for a 16 yard loss and knocked the football loose. Harry Coleman recovered the fumble for LSU.

The turnover effectively ended one of Ohio State’s final threats.

LSU won 38 to 24.

Highsmith had entered his senior season as one of the leaders of a championship contender. He left the field in New Orleans as a national champion.

Ali Highsmith by the Numbers

Highsmith’s LSU career showed steady development across four seasons.

In 2004, he recorded 21 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. In 2005, he improved to 75 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks while forcing three fumbles.

His junior season produced 63 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Then came 2007, when Highsmith finished with a career high 101 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

His final LSU totals were 260 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 13 pass breakups and one interception.

Highsmith appeared in 52 games, made 38 starts and started the final 28 games of his LSU career.

He was not a one season star. He was productive for four years and became more important to LSU’s defense with each season.

One More Honor at the Senior Bowl

Highsmith’s LSU career ended with the national championship, but he still had one more opportunity to represent the Tigers before beginning his professional career.

He participated in the 2008 Senior Bowl and was named the South team’s Defensive Most Valuable Player after recording four tackles in a 17 to 16 victory.

The performance provided another reminder of the player LSU fans had watched for four seasons.

Highsmith was not the largest linebacker on the field. His game was built around instincts, pursuit, physical tackling and an ability to find the football.

Those qualities had produced 260 tackles in Baton Rouge.

An Unexpected NFL Draft Weekend

Highsmith entered the 2008 NFL Draft after an All America senior season and an impressive college career.

His draft stock changed dramatically after the NFL Scouting Combine.

Highsmith ran the 40 yard dash in slightly more than five seconds, a surprisingly slow time for a linebacker whose game film showed much better playing speed.

He ultimately went undrafted.

The Arizona Cardinals quickly signed Highsmith as a free agent, and he played well enough during training camp to make the 53 man roster.

It was another example of something that had defined his football career.

He had to earn his opportunity.

His NFL Career

Highsmith appeared in six games for Arizona as a rookie in 2008 before tearing the ACL in his right knee against the St. Louis Rams on November 2. Arizona placed him on injured reserve two days later.

The injury occurred before the Cardinals began their postseason run to Super Bowl XLIII, so Highsmith did not participate in the playoff games.

He returned in 2009 and appeared in 14 games with two starts, recording 13 tackles.

Across his two NFL regular seasons with Arizona, Highsmith appeared in 20 games with two starts and recorded 17 tackles.

Arizona released him on August 3, 2010. The San Diego Chargers claimed him the following day but waived him on August 12.

His professional career never reached the level many expected after his LSU senior season.

That does little to change what he accomplished in Baton Rouge.

This ranking is about LSU.

And at LSU, Highsmith was outstanding.

Why Ali Highsmith Is No. 90

There are linebackers in LSU history with more national awards. There are players who became bigger NFL stars.

Highsmith’s case is built on sustained production and what he meant to several outstanding LSU defenses.

He contributed as a freshman, became a starter as a sophomore, earned Second Team All SEC honors as a junior and finished his career as an All American and First Team All SEC linebacker.

He recorded 260 tackles and 11 sacks.

He started 38 games.

He forced seven fumbles.

Most importantly, he became one of the leaders of LSU’s 2007 national championship team.

His final game provided the perfect ending. Highsmith led LSU in tackles, helped pressure Ohio State throughout the night and produced a fourth quarter strip sack that helped close the door on the Buckeyes.

There is also a historical detail that makes his LSU career especially interesting.

Before Peterson, Mathieu, Fournette, Delpit and the modern No. 7 tradition, the jersey belonged to Ali Highsmith.

He wore it for four seasons.

By the time he took it off for the final time, LSU was the national champion.

That is why Ali Highsmith belongs at No. 90 among the Top 100 LSU Tigers of all time.

Sources

LSU Athletics, Ali Highsmith player biography and career statistics
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/ali-highsmith/

LSU Athletics, Ali Highsmith 2004 biography and career information
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/season/2004/player/ali-highsmith/

LSU Athletics, Ali Highsmith 2005 biography and statistics
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/season/2005/player/ali-highsmith/

LSU Athletics, Florida vs. LSU official statistics, October 15, 2005
https://static.lsusports.net/assets/docs/fb/05stats/ls05.htm

LSU Athletics, Highsmith Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
https://lsusports.net/news/2005/10/17/203889/

LSU Athletics, Coaches All SEC Teams, 2006
https://lsusports.net/news/2006/12/05/714520/

LSU Athletics, Ten Tigers Named to Coaches All SEC Teams, 2007
https://lsusports.net/news/2007/12/04/1346035/

LSU Athletics, Three Tigers Named to CBS All America Team
https://lsusports.net/news/2007/12/08/1350249/

LSU Athletics, AP All America Teams
https://lsusports.net/news/2007/12/11/1351345/

LSU Athletics, Arkansas defeats LSU in three overtimes
https://lsusports.net/news/2007/11/23/1325579/

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LSU Athletics, LSU No. 7 tradition
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Arizona Cardinals, Highsmith’s NFL opportunity
https://www.azcardinals.com/news/hoping-highsmith-makes-a-run-7515526

Arizona Cardinals, Highsmith knee injury
https://www.azcardinals.com/news/warner-provides-answers-questions-935066

Pro Football Reference, Ali Highsmith NFL statistics
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HighAl01.htm

Los Angeles Chargers, 2010 transactions
https://www.chargers.com/team/transactions/2010