West Virginia University Athletics

Dontae Wright is in his fourth year on the Mountaineer coaching staff as the safeties coach after serving as the safeties coach at Western Michigan for two seasons.

In 2022, safety Aubrey Burks earned All-Big 12 first-team honors by PFF College and second team honors by the league Associated Press members, finishing second on the team with 66 tackles. He also was listed as one of the top safeties entering the 2023 season by PFF and national media member Mike Farrell. Spear Jasir Cox was named a third-team selection by PFF College. 

In 2021 conference games, WVU was tied for No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference in interceptions and was No. 3 in passing defense, giving up only 211.2 yards per game through the air. WVU was No. 5 in the nation in red zone defense and No. 18 in fewest first downs allowed. 

Safety Sean Mahone made his mark on and off the field. He was named a finalist for the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy, also known as the academic Heisman, and was a member of the Scholar-Athlete team, one of college football’s most prestigious academic teams. The school record-holder for the most games played in a WVU career (53), he was WVU’s second-leading tackler with 81 stops and tied for the team lead in interceptions (2). He was an All-Big 12 Third-Team selection by Phil Steele.

Safety Alonzo Addae finished as WVU’s third-leading tackler (73), had three pass breakups and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors. He signed a professional contract with the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks after being drafted as the No. 13 pick of the 2021 CFL Draft.

The WVU defense had an outstanding year in 2020, leading the nation in pass defense and ranking No. 4 in total defense (291.4), No. 21 in scoring defense (20.5), No. 23 in interceptions (11), No. 24 in pass efficiency defense (121.52) and No. 28 in rushing defense (131.8).

Alonzo Addae was the Mountaineers’ second-leading tackler with 66 stops, including 38 solo stops, tied for the team lead with two interceptions and tied for second on the team with five pass breakups. Addae was named a finalist for the Cornish Trophy, signifying the top Canadian football player playing in the United States and was named an All-Big 12 Second Team performer. Mahone was among the top tacklers for West Virginia, finishing with 54 tacklers, including 34 solo stops, one interception, four pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

At Western Michigan, his safeties helped WMU turn around its scoring defense in 2019, yielding 25.9 points per game, the best for the program since surrendering just 19.8 in 2016, and nearly nine points per game better than the 34.5 points a contest allowed in 2018. 

The unit was led by senior Justin Tranquill’s 83 tackles and two interceptions and junior A.J. Thomas’ 47 stops and six pass breakups. The group held three of its final five opponents to fewer than 150 passing yards. The 2018 season saw Wright guide Tranquill to 82 tackles and two pass breakups while Thomas finished with 47 stops. 

Prior to WMU, Wright served as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech for two seasons (2016-17), mentoring the specialists and the defensive ends. At the beginning of the 2017 season, Wright was promoted to defensive coordinator. 

In 2017, the Golden Eagles yielded 15.8 points per game, dropping more than 11 points from the 2016 average of 26.9. Wright guided the 2016 defensive squad to five Ohio Valley Conference wins. The program ended the campaign on the upswing with consecutive victories against Tennessee State and Murray State.

Before joining Tennessee Tech, Wright spent three seasons (2013-15) at Morehead State. He was the defensive coordinator for the 2015 season and worked with the defensive line, special teams and was a recruiting coordinator during his tenure. 

As the defensive coordinator, he lowered Morehead State’s points allowed per game by 18.3, which was the second-largest improvement for all Division I schools, FBS and FCS, from the year prior. The Eagles ranked in the top 10 in the FCS for interceptions (18) and turnovers (28) and in the top 20 for tackles for loss.

Wright also made a coaching stop at Centre College and spent two seasons (2010-11) at North Alabama, helping the Lions to a combined 18-8 record and an NCAA Division II playoff appearance.

Wright was a graduate assistant at Kentucky from 2007-09, working with the linebackers his first season and the defensive line the last two. During his time in Lexington, the Wildcats made two Music City Bowl appearances and one Liberty Bowl trip.

As a player, Wright was a four-year linebacker at Miami (Ohio) from 2003-06 and was a part of two Mid-American Conference East Division championship teams. The RedHawks won the conference outright in 2003, earning a spot in the GMAC Bowl. They won won a division crown in 2004 and participated in the Independence Bowl. 

A native of Louisa, Kentucky, Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Miami in 2007.