Addae Shines in Mountaineer Debut

West Virginia starting free safety Alonzo Addae made his debut Saturday in the Mountaineers' blowout win over Eastern Kentucky. He finished the afternoon second on the team in tackles with seven and, in what head coach Neal Brown dubbed as the play of the day, laid out and made a diving interception along the Mountaineer sideline.

“Really, just trusting my keys - trusting what the coaches have taught me and then just playing ball. See ball – get ball, and thankfully, my teammates had a great rush on the quarterback and made him throw the ball, and I went and got it,” said Addae.”

Addae transferred in from the University of New Hampshire in the summer of 2019 to join the newly hired West Virginia coaching staff that included his cousin Jahmile Addae a former Mountaineer standout himself and currently West Virginia's cornerback coach.

Alonzo had to sit out his first year to meet NCAA eligibility requirements and spent the time on the practice squad as the opponent’s best defensive back.

Then, during the offseason and into fall camp, Addae made his case to be one of the best 11 Mountaineers on the defensive side of the ball and, with growth, earned the starting free safety role.

“It was definitely difficult, but at the same time, I trusted in the process, and the coaches put me in a situation where I was here, and I was still continuously growing my skills,” said Addae. “It was hard, but today, I kind of let my emotions just run. It was kind of speechless to go out there and suit it up in a Mountaineer uniform, and I’m thankful.”

The interception undoubtedly was the play of the game but he arguably came up with the second-best play of the day in the form special teams. It also reflected Addae's passion for the game taking a routine play and pinning the opponent deep in their own territory.

After West Virginia took a 14-0 lead, in the first quarter, Casey Legg booted a high kick two yards deep into the endzone, Addae bolted down the field and cut the legs out of Colonel returner Davion Ross at the 13-yard line.

The special teams play continued to set the tone for the game, as for the interception, it came late in the first half and put the West Virginia offense at near midfield and was able to capitalize with a touchdown to cap off a 28-point second quarter.

Which play did he like better? He smiled and gave a chuckle then answered, “They both are great plays, but I’ll have to go back and look at them.”

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the page's top righthand corner. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Christopher Hall @WVHallBilly