James Franklin is beginning to put his first Virginia Tech staff together, bringing a lot of former coaches from Penn State to Blacksburg. As expected, not everyone, if anyone, who was part of Brent Pry's staff will be retained.
Virginia Tech fans would love to see wide receivers coach Fontel Mines be retained. As for other coaches, it wouldn't be surprising to see anyone let go or decide to move on after Franklin has been hired. One coach announced on his X account on Wednesday morning that his time in Blacksburg is up.
Virginia Tech Defensive Recruiting Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach Derek Jones announces he's moving on from the Hokies
In what shouldn't be considered a shocking announcement, Derek Jones, who was the defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach this past season, announced that he is leaving Virginia Tech and that he's excited to see what's next.
"Being a college football coach is a journey and along that journey you will have multiple stops. Each stop rewards you with the blessing of meeting new people, encountering new experiences, but most importantly impacting and touching the lives of multiple young men. My time at Virginia Tech is up and I’m thankful to Coach Brent Pry, my colleagues, Hokie Nation, my current and former players for a memorable experience. I’m excited to see what’s next,'' Jones wrote on X.
This was Jones' fourth season in Blacksburg, and he recruited and coached some of the top cornerbacks in the country in Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane. Strong went on to the NFL and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in last April's draft. As for Delane, he left in the Transfer Portal after 2024 and ended up having a great season at LSU, raising his draft stock for next April's draft. It was tough seeing him leave and have success elsewhere.