Western Michigan University Athletics

Dontae Wright joined the Western Michigan staff in February 2018 and serves as an assistant coach, mentoring the squad’s safeties. 

Wright’s 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 less than 150 passing yards.

The 2018 season had Wright guide Tranquill to 82 tackles and two pass breakups while Thomas finished with 47 stops. 

Wright joined the Broncos after serving as an assistant coach on the Tennessee Tech staff in 2016 and 2017, overseeing special teams and defensive ends. At the beginning of the 2017 season, Wright was promoted to defensive coordinator. 

The 2017 Tennessee Tech squad yielded 15.8 points per game, dropping more than 11 points from the 2016 average of 26.9. Wright helped the 2016 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 and played in the GMAC Bowl, then won a division crown in 2004 and participated in the Independence Bowl. 

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