There's no doubt that WRs coach/offensive recruiting coordinator Fontel Mines is an ace on the trail for Virginia Tech. The Richmond native has played a significant role in helping Brent Pry get the Hokies back to having recruiting success with top recruits in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
That grew this cycle with Mines and the Hokies landing the two best wide receivers in Virginia in this class: four-star Keylen Adams out of Virginia Beach, VA and four-star Chanz Wiggins out of King George, VA.
Adams, in particular, may be one of the most hyped up recruits that the Hokies have landed in recent memory setting VHSL records during his time at Green Run HS. Virginia Tech had to hold off stiff competition from Ohio State, Penn State, and many others to keep the top recruit out of the 757 in the Commonwealth of Virginia at Virginia Tech specifically for the first time since Tyrod Taylor.
Unsurprisingly, Brent Pry is really excited about what Adams can bring to the table for the Hokies even amidst a loaded WR room.
"The thing to me is he’s long but yet he’s still slippery. He can get skinny and can still make people miss. But he’s got great length, he’s got really good ball skills, the game comes easy to him. He doesn’t get rattled, he doesn’t get nervous. He’s got a calm demeanor out there, and obviously just the amount of plays and production that he has at the high school level, it’s hard to find that. And he was doing it in a competitive league. So I think he’s a guy that has a chance to help us early," Pry said.
Fontel Mines also feels that Adams can be a special player at Virginia Tech both with the talent he possesses, and the type of leader and worker he proved himself to be in high school.
"Keylen is special, man. You don’t get that much attention and offers and success without being a very talented person. He’s humble, he’s extremely hard working. If you just go back and look at his reception-to-touchdown ratio, it’s through the roof. The kid, he has a great family, high character. He’s been starting since his freshman year. The kid is three-time all-state, won over 40 games. That’s hard to go unnoticed. He’s a special player," Mines said.
To pair with Adams is Chanz Wiggins who played in a talented offense at King George where he had Maryland WR signee Mekhai White lined up across from him. Wiggins was a star for King George with 11 touchdowns and an average of over 17 yards per reception.
After signing Wiggins, Mines reflected on the process to bring Wiggins to Blacksburg while also sharing how he feels Wiggins is similar to a current standout VT wide receiver.
"What I love about Wiggins is he’s very similar in a lot of aspects to Quan Felton, just as far as his character, just as far as his intensity, just as far as his demeanor, just as far as his work. He’s passionate, he plays with an edge and the competitor in him is just something that stood out to me from the very beginning. I believe, and I have this date right, I was hired early January [2022] and I think the second week I was here, maybe a little bit slightly earlier than that, he was on campus for a junior day. Ever since then, we’ve been in contact with him," Mines said.
Of course, landing two guys of this caliber also means that you have to withstand other schools being in their ears weekly trying to see if they can get them to flip. In addition to Adams having tons of schools wanting to flip him, Wiggins also had tons of interest including from Michigan and Tennessee.
However, there was never a moment of waivering from either Adams or Wiggins, with Mines sharing that the relationships built with those two talented receivers, their families, and their coaches were critical to ensure there was never an opening for another school to even have a chance at flipping them.
"Those guys, they garnered a lot of attention throughout the season. That’s when relationships came into play. When you’re in those guys’ schools and you’re in those guys’ homes and you’re around their parents and you get them here for junior days and you get them here for practices, it makes it harder for those guys to make other decisions to go elsewhere other than stay at home," Mines said.
Virginia Tech has their highest-rated duo of high school wide receivers signed in a single recruiting class in a long time this cycle, with the Hokies excited for what Keylen Adams and Chanz Wiggins can do in Maroon and Orange.
