Photo by: Caleb Saunders
Veteran Addae Now One of the Leaders of the Mountaineer Defense
July 12, 2021 03:31 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Can you guess what Alonzo Addae's biggest adjustment was when he transferred to WVU from New Hampshire two years ago?
He says it was taking advantage of the things afforded to Power 5 players such as nutrition, academics, strength and conditioning and mental and physical health. The Milan Puskar Center is a big building that has recently gotten a lot bigger, and within those concrete walls is basically its own football ecosystem.
For someone transferring up a couple of levels, it can be somewhat overwhelming.
"The biggest adjustment for me was just trying to find my way around the facility, to be honest with you," Addae said recently. "We have so many different resources here, be it nutrition, academics, weight room or athletic trainers, and coming from an FCS program, you are not afforded those luxuries. My biggest adjustment was making sure I was making the most out of my day and also using the resources that are provided to us."
Addae transferred to West Virginia the old way by having to sit out a year. He said he used that time to familiarize himself with the Puskar Center and the West Virginia defense.
Today's transfer portal with one-time immediate eligibility will lessen the likelihood of players having that adjustment time now, but Addae said he put his gap year in 2019 to good use.
"I definitely wanted to be out there because as a competitor you don't want to stand on the sidelines while the guys take the field, but at the same time, I tried to use that year to better all of my skills," he explained. "They put me in the developmental program so I had a lot of time lifting, running, strengthening my body and things of that nature.
"When I was on scout team I applied pressure every day during practice and tried to make the most of the opportunity, especially being from Canada because a lot of guys from there don't get this opportunity," he added. "For me, it was rolling with the punches and dealing with the adversity of not being able to play but still going to attack every day like I am."
Attack it he did!
Addae started 10 games last year at free safety and finished second on the team with 66 total tackles, his 6.6 tackles-per-game average ranking 12th in the Big 12. He also picked off a pair of passes; his diving interception against Eastern Kentucky was featured as one of ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day.
He had nine-tackle games against Oklahoma State and Baylor and was voted All-Big 12 Second Team by the coaches.
Addae, a Pickering, Ontario, native, was taken in the second round of last spring's Canadian Football League Draft, but he opted to use his remaining year of collegiate eligibility at WVU in 2021.
"I was afforded the opportunity to be drafted in the CFL, but at the same time my goal was to always return to Morgantown, play out my years of eligibility and aim to go to the NFL," he said.
COVID-19 restrictions last season basically robbed players a normal college football experience. Attendance restrictions limited Milan Puskar Stadium to only 25% capacity and COVID protocols made it impossible for the players to do typical team functions.
With a high percentage of the players vaccinated, Addae is looking forward to having things return to some sort of normalcy this fall.
"With a lot of the team getting the vaccine or the COVID restrictions being lessened, I feel like that's something that's helped this team. I feel like we're a closer-knit group than we were last year," he said.
"We've been able to be around each other more and do different things as a team, whether it be team activities or something simple like just meeting as a team. Last year, it was almost like two separate teams in the summer just because we had to be spread out with numbers. This summer, we've been able to be very close, and I think that will definitely show," he noted.
Addae is one of the older players on a Mountaineer defense that finished 2020 ranked No. 1 in the country in passing yards allowed, No. 4 in total yards per game and No. 21 in points allowed. The free safety is versatile enough to play other positions this year, if needed.
"I pride myself on being a defensive back and that means any position they want to play me at I'm comfortable playing there," he admitted. "Obviously, this past season being at free safety, that's a position I actually played growing up in Canada so being there was definitely at home, but I pride myself on being able to play anywhere. Whether that's cat, spear or even corner … I have film from my old school at corner and when I first got here that's where they had me."
The experience and versatility West Virginia has in the secondary this fall with guys like Addae returning will allow defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley to continue employing a variety of different coverages.
It's a lot easier trying to confuse other teams when you have older guys who won't confuse themselves.
"We have a lot of older guys in the back, so for us it's about evolving our game and not going out there and being able to do our job standing still," he explained. "We're playing against some of the best quarterbacks in the country, so if we just go out there and line up and show them what we're in a lot of quarterbacks will be able to beat that. Being older, more seasoned, having more time with the coverage calls and understanding the defense better definitely allows us to do different things and disguise different things."
Addae, as one of the veteran players on the team, is also tasked with helping some of the newer guys such as Maine linebacker Deshawn Stevens become comfortable in the program. Stevens, an All-Colonial linebacker, sophomore All-American and the No. 6 overall pick in last spring's CFL Draft, enrolled on June 28 and will have one season of eligibility remaining in 2021.
Addae, Stevens and sophomore defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor now make three Ontario natives on the 2021 Mountaineer roster.
"I think we're getting a great linebacker," Addae said. "The coaches came to me and asked me about him when he hit the portal. I think we're getting a leader, first and foremost – somebody who is going to be a great addition character-wise. He has to find his way and see how we do things here, but I think he's a great fit, a great person and a great player.
"What a lot of people don't know is I've known Deshawn for a long time," he continued. "Both of us are from the Toronto area. We played against each other in little league ball coming up and we also actually also played with each other for our provincial team in the International Bowl versus Team USA. He's been a longtime friend, and I'm definitely happy he's able to join us here, and I think he will be a great addition to the team."
The two ended their prep careers together and now they will end their collegiate careers together playing Power 5 football at West Virginia.
Both have aspirations of playing beyond college as well.
Season and mini-season tickets remain on sale for the 2021 season and can be purchased by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
West Virginia opens the 2021 season in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday, Sept. 4, against Border rival Maryland. The 2021 home opener is a week later against LIU on Saturday, Sept. 11.
He says it was taking advantage of the things afforded to Power 5 players such as nutrition, academics, strength and conditioning and mental and physical health. The Milan Puskar Center is a big building that has recently gotten a lot bigger, and within those concrete walls is basically its own football ecosystem.
For someone transferring up a couple of levels, it can be somewhat overwhelming.
"The biggest adjustment for me was just trying to find my way around the facility, to be honest with you," Addae said recently. "We have so many different resources here, be it nutrition, academics, weight room or athletic trainers, and coming from an FCS program, you are not afforded those luxuries. My biggest adjustment was making sure I was making the most out of my day and also using the resources that are provided to us."
Addae transferred to West Virginia the old way by having to sit out a year. He said he used that time to familiarize himself with the Puskar Center and the West Virginia defense.
Today's transfer portal with one-time immediate eligibility will lessen the likelihood of players having that adjustment time now, but Addae said he put his gap year in 2019 to good use.
"I definitely wanted to be out there because as a competitor you don't want to stand on the sidelines while the guys take the field, but at the same time, I tried to use that year to better all of my skills," he explained. "They put me in the developmental program so I had a lot of time lifting, running, strengthening my body and things of that nature.
"When I was on scout team I applied pressure every day during practice and tried to make the most of the opportunity, especially being from Canada because a lot of guys from there don't get this opportunity," he added. "For me, it was rolling with the punches and dealing with the adversity of not being able to play but still going to attack every day like I am."
Attack it he did!
Addae started 10 games last year at free safety and finished second on the team with 66 total tackles, his 6.6 tackles-per-game average ranking 12th in the Big 12. He also picked off a pair of passes; his diving interception against Eastern Kentucky was featured as one of ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day.
He had nine-tackle games against Oklahoma State and Baylor and was voted All-Big 12 Second Team by the coaches.
Addae, a Pickering, Ontario, native, was taken in the second round of last spring's Canadian Football League Draft, but he opted to use his remaining year of collegiate eligibility at WVU in 2021.
"I was afforded the opportunity to be drafted in the CFL, but at the same time my goal was to always return to Morgantown, play out my years of eligibility and aim to go to the NFL," he said.
COVID-19 restrictions last season basically robbed players a normal college football experience. Attendance restrictions limited Milan Puskar Stadium to only 25% capacity and COVID protocols made it impossible for the players to do typical team functions.
With a high percentage of the players vaccinated, Addae is looking forward to having things return to some sort of normalcy this fall.
"With a lot of the team getting the vaccine or the COVID restrictions being lessened, I feel like that's something that's helped this team. I feel like we're a closer-knit group than we were last year," he said.
"We've been able to be around each other more and do different things as a team, whether it be team activities or something simple like just meeting as a team. Last year, it was almost like two separate teams in the summer just because we had to be spread out with numbers. This summer, we've been able to be very close, and I think that will definitely show," he noted.
Addae is one of the older players on a Mountaineer defense that finished 2020 ranked No. 1 in the country in passing yards allowed, No. 4 in total yards per game and No. 21 in points allowed. The free safety is versatile enough to play other positions this year, if needed.
"I pride myself on being a defensive back and that means any position they want to play me at I'm comfortable playing there," he admitted. "Obviously, this past season being at free safety, that's a position I actually played growing up in Canada so being there was definitely at home, but I pride myself on being able to play anywhere. Whether that's cat, spear or even corner … I have film from my old school at corner and when I first got here that's where they had me."
The experience and versatility West Virginia has in the secondary this fall with guys like Addae returning will allow defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley to continue employing a variety of different coverages.
It's a lot easier trying to confuse other teams when you have older guys who won't confuse themselves.
"We have a lot of older guys in the back, so for us it's about evolving our game and not going out there and being able to do our job standing still," he explained. "We're playing against some of the best quarterbacks in the country, so if we just go out there and line up and show them what we're in a lot of quarterbacks will be able to beat that. Being older, more seasoned, having more time with the coverage calls and understanding the defense better definitely allows us to do different things and disguise different things."Addae, as one of the veteran players on the team, is also tasked with helping some of the newer guys such as Maine linebacker Deshawn Stevens become comfortable in the program. Stevens, an All-Colonial linebacker, sophomore All-American and the No. 6 overall pick in last spring's CFL Draft, enrolled on June 28 and will have one season of eligibility remaining in 2021.
Addae, Stevens and sophomore defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor now make three Ontario natives on the 2021 Mountaineer roster.
"I think we're getting a great linebacker," Addae said. "The coaches came to me and asked me about him when he hit the portal. I think we're getting a leader, first and foremost – somebody who is going to be a great addition character-wise. He has to find his way and see how we do things here, but I think he's a great fit, a great person and a great player.
"What a lot of people don't know is I've known Deshawn for a long time," he continued. "Both of us are from the Toronto area. We played against each other in little league ball coming up and we also actually also played with each other for our provincial team in the International Bowl versus Team USA. He's been a longtime friend, and I'm definitely happy he's able to join us here, and I think he will be a great addition to the team."
The two ended their prep careers together and now they will end their collegiate careers together playing Power 5 football at West Virginia.
Both have aspirations of playing beyond college as well.
Season and mini-season tickets remain on sale for the 2021 season and can be purchased by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
West Virginia opens the 2021 season in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday, Sept. 4, against Border rival Maryland. The 2021 home opener is a week later against LIU on Saturday, Sept. 11.
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