A pair of players that didn’t play a single snap a season ago are set to be major factors in the West Virginia Mountaineers secondary this fall.

Redshirt junior cornerback Dreshun Miller and redshirt senior safety Alonzo Addae didn’t see the field for different reasons in 2019 but have emerged as some of the standouts in the backend in fall camp.

Miller was one of the most highly rated recruits in his class after a standout career at Eastern Arizona J.C. The long, rangy cornerback was expected to have an immediate impact after enrolling at the mid-term in order to get a head start on his career.

But a pre-season knee injury cost him the entire season and the 6-foot-1, 192-pounder, was forced to rehab and watch from the sidelines.

In hindsight, that could have been one of the best things that happened to his overall development, according to secondary coach Jahmile Addae.

“He really got a chance to sit back and watch the games while having to deal with the knee injury last year,” Addae said.

That afforded him the opportunity to advance himself not only physically in his return to the field but mentally as he was able to put himself in position to be a more reliable option on the field. That spilled over into fall camp where Miller was one of the most consistent players in camp.

He is slated to begin the season as the starter at one of the cornerback spots.

“He came back better than he left,” Addae said.

Addae, the cousin of the Mountaineers assistant, was forced to sit out as a transfer from FCS New Hampshire and never had the expectation that he was going to suit up last fall. That allowed him to become a valuable piece on the team due to his role on scout team where he would often play the opposing team’s best defensive back.

Doing that over the course of the season earned him the respect of his teammates, while showcasing that he belonged from an abilities standpoint. Like Miller, he used that experience to propel him to a very strong fall camp where he earned the top spot at free safety.

The former cornerback didn’t take long to acclimate to his new position. He used his experience at the college level to learn the defense and really hone in on what he does well and what he needs to work on. The end result is another valuable piece to the secondary that wasn’t on the active roster last year.

“He’s coming with a different hunger,” Addae said. “I’ve been excited to see him work.”

Two fresh faces that are going to play a significant role this fall are examples of overcoming adversity to put themselves in the position to succeed.

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