Jahmile Addae turned his head a lot in his first game as a West Virginia Mountaineer. Then a wide-eyed, true freshman, Addae lined up as the free safety against Clinton Portis, Ken Dorsey, Jeremy Shockey and the rest of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes just in time for a 45-3 thumping in his collegiate debut.

‘I would do it over again,’ Addae said. ‘Now I’m coming in to cap the experience off.’

Addae is now a fifth-year senior, one of head coach Rich Rodriguez’s few returning all-conference stars from a year ago. The Mountaineers will play Sunday against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome at 1:30 p.m.

While the Orange don’t boast nearly the same amount of talent as the 2001 Miami team, Addae admits the game is a tough test for the young defense he hopes to lead against new Orange head coach Greg Robinson.

‘From what I hear, (Robinson’s) a pretty good coach and we have a lot to prepare for,’ Addae said. ‘You have to go and find their worst scenarios and play against them, play against a coach as good and talented as he is.’

The Mountaineers lost notable starters Kay-Jay Harris and Chris Henry from the offense and Adam ‘Pac Man’ Jones from the defensive secondary. Jones’ departure to the NFL is particularly hard for Addae, who can no longer favor one side of the field against the pass.

‘We have some rough edges that have to be taken care of,’ Addae said of the secondary. ‘It’s hard, that’s a big loss. (Jones) was a special athlete. We have some guys who want to fill his shoes and they’re up to the task.’

Addae has met any task that has come his way since a young boy growing up in the Bronx. He moved to Valerico, Fla., after seventh grade when his father, Freddy, was transferred from his job at City Corp. Having already skipped a grade in elementary school, Addae graduated from Riverview High School when he was 16.

Addae said being accelerated academically and athletically was not a big deal for him, and half of his teammates probably don’t know he skipped a grade. Addae considers Florida his home, a football breeding ground that helped him become ready to take the field as a 17-year-old against arguably the best college football team in recent memory.

Because Addae did not redshirt like most of his classmates, he used the chance as a junior when he suffered a shoulder injury. Through the pain, he posted eight tackles against Wisconsin and forced a fumble against Cincinnati even before having season-ending shoulder surgery and using his medical redshirt.

‘Everything happens for a reason,’ Addae said. ‘I was sort of down; it was hard at the time, but I’m actually happy that it happened.’

Now Addae gets to face Syracuse one more time, going for his third win in four tries against SU. And Orange receivers are not spared from a hit while coming across the middle. Addae has no second thoughts about putting his shoulder into the opposition, evident of his all-conference selection in 2004 for stopping the pass and the run.

‘(The injury) doesn’t affect me anymore,’ he said. ‘I play football. Whatever the situation calls for, I’m that type of player on that play.’

Rodriguez said he’ll explain to his young players about the difficulties of playing the Dome, but his seasoned free safety may have the most direct advice for his defense.

Said Addae: ‘I’m gonna tell the younger guys to just strap it up and get ready to play.’

Published on August 30, 2005 at 12:00 pm