Watch: Connecting With Players is New OLB Coach Dontae Wright’s Top Priority

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Replacing outside linebacker coach Al Pogue was not going to be an easy tack for WVU head coach Neal Brown, but he believes he has found his guy in Dontae Wright.

Wright was the final hire to complete Brown’s staff for 2020, coming from Western Michigan where he coached the safeties.

Brown said he likes Wright because of the career path he has taken.

“He’s led units, he’s been a defensive coordinator, he’s been a special teams coordinator, he’s comfortable in front of people,” Brown said. “I like the path he had to take to get here. He’s been at division-III, he’s been at division-II, he’s been at the FCS level, he’s been at the group of five level.”

Wright was coached at WMU, Tennessee Tech Morehead State and North Alabama. Brown said he also likes Wright as a teacher, someone who can connect with players.

“He’s really a teacher, that’s what struck me when he came and visited with us, is what kind of teacher he was,” Brown said. “I think he relates well to all types of kids and I’ve been impressed watching him over the first couple weeks.”

Wright said connecting with his players and learning about them off the field is the most important thing he can do.

Wright said he told his players, ‘the most important thing from now until Spring ball starts is, I need you to come into my office every single day. Come in my office and talk about your day, come in my office and tell me something that’s going on off the field so I can get to know you as a man’.”

“I really believe that’s truly important and they’ve done a great job,” Wright said. “They’ve been by every day, every single one of them.”