Background and career
Qualin Dont'a Hightower (born March 12, 1990) is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the New England Patriots. Hightower played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earning consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Selected by New England in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he received two Pro Bowl selections and was named a second-team All-Pro, in addition to winning three Super Bowl titles. After retiring, he served as the inside linebackers coach for the Patriots in 2024.
Hightower was born in Lewisburg, Tennessee. He attended Marshall County High School in Lewisburg, where he played for the Marshall County Tigers high school football team. He first drew recognition his sophomore year when the team's starting running back quit the team. In the last four games of the season, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. After growing to 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) prior to his junior year, Hightower was moved to linebacker and tight end. He collected 98 tackles, two sacks, and seven forced fumbles as a linebacker and caught 18 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns at tight end. Having grown to six feet, three inches tall as a senior, Hightower again switched positions to defensive end. After recording 168 tackles (14 for loss), five forced fumbles, five interceptions and four fumble recoveries, he was named 3A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year and The Tennesseans Defensive Most Valuable Player in 2007. He also added 875 yards and 19 touchdowns on offense. Hightower was selected to play in the U.S. Army East West All-Star Game in San Antonio, Texas. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Hightower was listed as the No. 15 inside linebacker in the nation in 2008. He chose Alabama over Auburn, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.
Hightower attended the University of Alabama, where he played for the Crimson Tide football team from 2008 to 2011.
As one of only two true freshmen to be regular starter for the Crimson Tide in 2008, Hightower started 12 games while playing in all 14 at weakside inside linebacker ("Will") in Alabama's 3–4 defense, next to Rolando McClain who occupied the other inside linebacker spot ("Mike"). Hightower recorded 64 tackles (4th on the team) and 2.5 tackles for loss, while also having one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He had at least one tackle in each game and had five or more stops in seven of 14 games, including 10 against Tulane and a career-high 11 at LSU. He was subsequently named to numerous Freshman All-American teams.
For the 2009 season, during the Arkansas game, Hightower suffered a knee injury in the first quarter when he was cut blocked by an Arkansas lineman. He was diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and missed the rest of the season with surgery. True freshman Nico Johnson replaced him at weak side linebacker. Hightower recorded 16 tackles including four tackles for loss. Having played only four games, he was granted a medical redshirt making him a redshirt sophomore in 2010.
Returning for the 2010 season, Hightower was expected to "be the nucleus of a young defense". He replaced McClain as Alabama's middle linebacker.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
