On Wednesday night, Doug Bowman of 247Sports reported that Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Fontel Mines received a new contract. Obtained thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, Mines received a 55% raise and now makes $425,000.
Mines, a Virginia football alumnus, joined Brent Pry's staff in January 2022 from Old Dominion, where he coached tight ends. His salary for the 2022 season was $275,000, so he received a raise of $150,000 from his original contract.
At first, Mines' contract was through January 2024. The new deal begins in January 2023 and keeps Mines in Blacksburg through March 2026. Bowman also noted Mines' retention bonuses if he remains on staff through 2026: $25,000 on March 1, 2024; $50,000 on March 1, 2025; $75,000 on March 1, 2026.
As Chris Coleman wrote on Jan. 5, Mines is crucial to the Hokies' in-state relationships. In the 2023 class, Tech signed 12 recruits from the Commonwealth, and Mines had a hand in just about all of them. When it came to the Richmond area, he was heavily involved in signing Jason Abbey, Jeremiah Coney, Antonio Cotman Jr., Cameren Fleming, Takye Heath, Braylon Johnson and Krystian Williams.
The success didn't stop there, though. His relationships helped the Hokies reel in five wide receivers, including two - Chance Fitzgerald and Ayden Greene - from Tennessee.
Mines showed he could boost the productivity in his wide receiver room with the development of Kaleb Smith. Though he transferred to Notre Dame in December, Smith caught 37 passes for 674 yards (18.2 avg) and three touchdowns with the Hokies in 2022. Those numbers were huge leaps from that of 2021: 20 receptions, 260 yards (13.0 avg), two touchdowns.
However, production was slim outside of Smith. As a result, Tech hit the transfer portal and added three wide receivers: Ali Jennings III (Old Dominion), Da'Quan Felton (Norfolk State) and Jaylin Lane (Middle Tennessee). Mines' personal relationship with Jennings played a key role in that decision, and he was the lead recruiter with Felton and Lane.
At the moment, the Hokies have 15 scholarship wide receivers, a list Mines will have to trim down. The roster is set for the spring, too, and Mines will have 12 wideouts at his disposal.
A Hermitage High School product, he played at UVa from 2002-06 and with the Chicago Bears for three seasons. His coaching career at the Division I level began in 2012 at Richmond. From there, he moved to James Madison and East Carolina before landing at ODU in 2021.
This offseason, the wide receiver job at Penn State opened up and Mines was rumored to be a candidate. However, Virginia wide receivers coach Marques Hagans made the leap to Happy Valley. That opened a spot on Tony Elliott's staff in Charlottesville, an enticing opportunity for Mines at his alma mater, but Pry and Virginia Tech inked a new deal to secure his place in Blacksburg.