When Jahmile Addae was brought in last week from West Virginia to become Georgia’s new secondary coach, much was made of the fact the Mountaineers were the nation’s top defense against the pass last fall.

It was assumed West Virginia’s success might have been one of the key reasons he was hired by Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart to take over for Warren Charlton, who was named the defensive coordinator at Indiana.

However, it wasn't Addae's past that impressed Smart the most.

“To be honest, it meant absolutely nothing,” Smart said. “I didn’t study, and had no idea until you guys wrote that. I based the decision on fit, the person, the man, the research, and the interview.”

Obviously, Addae passed all of Smart’s tests with flying colors, signing a contract that will pay him $500,000 per year, according to an open records request obtained by UGASports. The length of the contract was not released.

“I’m not really into how many starters did he lose, what was their passer rating, what were their defensive pass percentages—to be honest, that’s kind of irrelevant,” Smart said. “One, you’re dealing with different conferences, it didn’t cross over. So for us, we based the decision on the fit.”

Nevertheless, Addae comes to Georgia with some impressive credentials, and it will be his responsibility to mold what will be a widely inexperienced secondary for the Bulldogs this fall.

Along with safeties coach Dontae Wright, Addae helped coach a West Virginia secondary that led the Big 12 in pass defense, giving up just 159.6 yards per game through the air. The second-lowest mark was Iowa State at 237.3.

A graduate of West Virginia, Addae was actually an all-conference performer for the Mountaineers who played against Georgia in the 2005 Sugar Bowl.

In his first year at West Virginia, Addae coached two All-Big 12 Conference selections in Keith Washington II and Josh Norwood, as well as freshman All-American Tykee Smith.

Washington II finished with a team-leading three interceptions and a team-tying nine pass breakups for 12 passes defended, ranking No. 23 nationally. Smith was second on the team in interceptions with two, including one he returned for a touchdown against Iowa State.

“I’m excited about Jahmile; he’s very talented. I think he’s got a great personality, I think he’s going to make a really good recruiter, and he’s a really good teacher,” Smart said. “Since hiring him, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with him, and I’m excited about what he can do. But as far as what he inherited, or had lost, or came in, I didn’t have a clue.”