Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Bridgeport’s Bonamico Has Earned His Roster Spot
August 04, 2019 05:43 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Now comes the really heavy lifting for West Virginia University junior safety Dante Bonamico, as if he hasn't done enough heavy lifting already.
The former Bridgeport High walk-on has seen his name climb all the way to the top of the preseason depth chart at safety following the summertime departures of Kenny Robinson and Derrek Pitts.
That wasn't the hard part, of course, that happened when he first arrived three years ago as a 5-foot-8-inch, 180-pound high school running back turned defensive back.
Scholarship guys get some mulligans because of the amount of time and money a coaching staff has invested to get them to come here.
Walk-ons don't get do-overs and oftentimes they don't even get dos.
But Bonamico, a two-time all-state running back at Double-A Bridgeport, got his opportunity during the first spring he was in the Mountaineer program.
He was working in the secondary with the threes and occasionally he got to play with the twos and eventually the ones when they needed a rest, and each time he was out there something good happened – and it wasn't the other guys doing it.
It was Dante!
"Right then I knew I had to keep doing what I'm doing," he recalled after Sunday's morning practice.
So far he has.
Bonamico saw action in six games during his redshirt freshman season in 2017 and then he upped that last year when he made 10 tackles, eight unassisted, and recovered a fumble in 12 games.
Now, just as West Virginia walk-on players Justin Arndt and Shane Commodore once did before, Bonamico is getting an opportunity to perform for the university he grew up following.
"Guys coming from out of state, they learn pretty quick (how meaningful it is to play at West Virginia University)," Bonamico explained. "Being from here I knew what was expected of me and what is expected of the team. Sometimes when you are doing this every day it gets monotonous out there, but when you sit down and think about it you realize just how meaningful it is to play at a place that is so important to the people of the state."
And that in-state pride and devotion can be like fuel for success.
It certainly helped Rich Braham transform from a walk-on tight end into one of the most dominant offensive tackles in school history and a 12-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He is still the gold standard for walk-ons at West Virginia University.
But who will ever forget what Wheeling's Zach Abraham did during his senior season in 1994 when he caught 41 passes for 752 yards and six touchdowns, or that game-winning catch he made to beat Pitt up in the Steel City that season?
There were no mulligans for those two guys but when they got their opportunity they pounced on it, which is what Bonamico is planning to do this season.
"The scholarship guys get the first crack at it, and rightfully so," Bonamico admitted. "They brought them in here for a reason so when you get that opportunity you have to produce. (Former Mountaineer linebacker) Casey Vance talked about it last year when he first came here (in 2008).
"He said from day one that he was going to make it a priority not to have any MAs (missed assignments) or mistakes so when they give him that one chance maybe they can look at him as a guy they can trust. That's how I feel."
Bonamico is like many West Virginia high school athletes who make the jump to the highest level of collegiate athletics, regardless of the sport. It's sometimes just a matter of having self-confidence to do it.
Believe it or not, it was once that way with Shenandoah Junction's James Jett, one of the fastest dudes on the planet and one of just a small number of human beings to ever run a sub-20 in the 200-meter dash.
It wasn't until James went to a track meet outside of the state and blew the doors off of the fastest kids in Virginia and Pennsylvania when he realized that he was actually good.
Bonamico had a similar experience when he first came to West Virginia and began practicing with the players here.
"When you come in you're looking at these guys thinking to yourself, 'I don't know if I can play here.' Then you start making some plays and you realize these guys are good players, but they're not world beaters out there," he said.
Confidence, however, can be a double-edged sword.
"I saw guys I came in with that could play and they just didn't have the mindset or the confidence to do it," Bonamico explained.
If it didn't happen at West Virginia Bonamico admits it probably wouldn't have happened for him because he wasn't interested in transferring down a level to get more playing time.
He wanted to play on college football's biggest stage for his state school. More importantly, he didn't just want to wear a uniform for the Mountaineers, he wanted to PLAY for the Mountaineers.
"I can't say whether I'd be here or not, but thankfully I made some plays and I'm still here," he said.
By the way, he's on full scholarship now. Former coach Dana Holgorsen gave him one last year.
Check that. Holgorsen AWARDED Dante Bonamico a full scholarship last year because he earned it.
"Absolutely," he laughed. "Everything was earned."
It sure is, just ask Rich Braham or Zach Abraham.
The Mountaineers will resume preseason workouts on Monday morning.
The former Bridgeport High walk-on has seen his name climb all the way to the top of the preseason depth chart at safety following the summertime departures of Kenny Robinson and Derrek Pitts.
That wasn't the hard part, of course, that happened when he first arrived three years ago as a 5-foot-8-inch, 180-pound high school running back turned defensive back.
Scholarship guys get some mulligans because of the amount of time and money a coaching staff has invested to get them to come here.
Walk-ons don't get do-overs and oftentimes they don't even get dos.
But Bonamico, a two-time all-state running back at Double-A Bridgeport, got his opportunity during the first spring he was in the Mountaineer program.
He was working in the secondary with the threes and occasionally he got to play with the twos and eventually the ones when they needed a rest, and each time he was out there something good happened – and it wasn't the other guys doing it.
It was Dante!
"Right then I knew I had to keep doing what I'm doing," he recalled after Sunday's morning practice.
So far he has.
Bonamico saw action in six games during his redshirt freshman season in 2017 and then he upped that last year when he made 10 tackles, eight unassisted, and recovered a fumble in 12 games.
Now, just as West Virginia walk-on players Justin Arndt and Shane Commodore once did before, Bonamico is getting an opportunity to perform for the university he grew up following.
"Guys coming from out of state, they learn pretty quick (how meaningful it is to play at West Virginia University)," Bonamico explained. "Being from here I knew what was expected of me and what is expected of the team. Sometimes when you are doing this every day it gets monotonous out there, but when you sit down and think about it you realize just how meaningful it is to play at a place that is so important to the people of the state."
And that in-state pride and devotion can be like fuel for success.
It certainly helped Rich Braham transform from a walk-on tight end into one of the most dominant offensive tackles in school history and a 12-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He is still the gold standard for walk-ons at West Virginia University.
But who will ever forget what Wheeling's Zach Abraham did during his senior season in 1994 when he caught 41 passes for 752 yards and six touchdowns, or that game-winning catch he made to beat Pitt up in the Steel City that season?
There were no mulligans for those two guys but when they got their opportunity they pounced on it, which is what Bonamico is planning to do this season.
"The scholarship guys get the first crack at it, and rightfully so," Bonamico admitted. "They brought them in here for a reason so when you get that opportunity you have to produce. (Former Mountaineer linebacker) Casey Vance talked about it last year when he first came here (in 2008).
"He said from day one that he was going to make it a priority not to have any MAs (missed assignments) or mistakes so when they give him that one chance maybe they can look at him as a guy they can trust. That's how I feel."
Bonamico is like many West Virginia high school athletes who make the jump to the highest level of collegiate athletics, regardless of the sport. It's sometimes just a matter of having self-confidence to do it.
Believe it or not, it was once that way with Shenandoah Junction's James Jett, one of the fastest dudes on the planet and one of just a small number of human beings to ever run a sub-20 in the 200-meter dash.
It wasn't until James went to a track meet outside of the state and blew the doors off of the fastest kids in Virginia and Pennsylvania when he realized that he was actually good.
Bonamico had a similar experience when he first came to West Virginia and began practicing with the players here.
"When you come in you're looking at these guys thinking to yourself, 'I don't know if I can play here.' Then you start making some plays and you realize these guys are good players, but they're not world beaters out there," he said.
Confidence, however, can be a double-edged sword.
"I saw guys I came in with that could play and they just didn't have the mindset or the confidence to do it," Bonamico explained.
If it didn't happen at West Virginia Bonamico admits it probably wouldn't have happened for him because he wasn't interested in transferring down a level to get more playing time.
He wanted to play on college football's biggest stage for his state school. More importantly, he didn't just want to wear a uniform for the Mountaineers, he wanted to PLAY for the Mountaineers.
"I can't say whether I'd be here or not, but thankfully I made some plays and I'm still here," he said.
By the way, he's on full scholarship now. Former coach Dana Holgorsen gave him one last year.
Check that. Holgorsen AWARDED Dante Bonamico a full scholarship last year because he earned it.
"Absolutely," he laughed. "Everything was earned."
It sure is, just ask Rich Braham or Zach Abraham.
The Mountaineers will resume preseason workouts on Monday morning.
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