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The San Francisco 49ers will host their rookie minicamp starting Friday, and we've got one new name, and one departing name. Miami safety A.J. Highsmith will be in town this weekend for a try out, while Bemidji State basketball player Zach Noreen has decided to decline the team's invitation for rookie camp.
The Miami Herald is reporting former Miami safety A.J. Highsmith has signed with the 49ers. Eric Branch describes it as being "invited to participate". The 49ers have not reported any Highsmith signing, so my guess is it is in fact a tryout. Highsmith started his college career as a quarterback before switching over to safety. He played in 12 games this past season, starting four. He played in 12 games in 2012, starting seven. He stands 5'10, 198 pounds and ran a 4.64 40.
In other news, Zach Noreen has decided to decline the 49ers invitation to their rookie minicamp. The 49ers invited the Bemidji State basketball player after Trent Baalke caught him playing following Baalke's daughter's game. The 49ers invited the 6'6 forward to minicamp as a potential tight end. Noreen has only played basketball at Bemidji State, but will play football in the fall. He was offered a roster spot with the college, but would have had to sacrifice his last semester of eligibility if he tried out with the 49ers. My guess is he'll play this year and probably get a tryout invite next year. It's a roll of the dice for him, but given that he did not expect the invite in the first place, it's not like he's giving up any kind of previous sure thing.