Dolphins hire former WVU player and coach Addae
Former West Virginia defensive back and assistant coach Jahmile Addae is reportedly on the move again.
The Miami Dolphins have reportedly hired Addae to be their cornerbacks coach for the 2026 season. Addae was with the Buffalo Bills last year.
Addae was a four-year starter, two-time captain and two-time All-Big East defensive back for the Mountaineers from 2001-05 under Rich Rodriguez. He finished his WVU career with 253 tackles, including 152 solo stops and 25 pass breakups, which is fifth in program history. After 2005, he signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the start of the season and ended the year with the Indianapolis Colts.
After his playing career, Addae went into coaching and bounced around to different coaching gigs. He started his coaching just after graduating from WVU in 2007 as a graduate assistant in the football video department. Addae left WVU with Rich Rodriguez as a graduate assistant to Michigan, and he finally got a full-time coaching gig with Cincinnati from 2010-11. Addae was the running backs coach for the Bearcats. Addae rejoined Rodriguez at Arizona, where he coached defensive backs and spent most of his time as an analyst.
He spent a year with Minnesota before returning to his alma mater on Neal Brown’s staff, coaching cornerbacks and the secondary, while also being the co-defensive coordinator. WVU’s passing defense led the nation in fewest allowed air yards in 2020. He joined Georgia’s National Championship team in 2021. The Bulldogs had the No. 1 scoring defense, No. 1 red zone defense and No. 2 total defense. Addae went to Miami the following year and was there for two seasons. The Hurricanes had 25 interceptions over that span. In 2022, Addae had coached NFL Draft picks Tyrique Stevenson (second round) and D.J. Ivey (seventh round).
In 2024, Addae finally got his chance in the NFL with the Bills. In Year 1 in Buffalo, Addae coached third-year corner Christian Benford to earn 11 All-Pro votes (1 first team, 10 second team) after playing in 15 games and recording two INTs and 10 passes defensed. The Bills’ defense finished with a +24 turnover margin, the best in the NFL since the 2012 Patriots (+25). The Bills allowed the fewest air yards per game and had 13 picks in 2025.
The Bills recently fired head coach Sean McDermott after losing in overtime in the Divisional Round, leaving Addae’s job security up in the air. Addae saw the change in leadership as an opportunity to find another job, landing him on the new Dolphins’ head coach, Jeff Hafley’s staff. The Dolphins allowed the most passing yards per game in the AFC East last year.