Veteran Preston Fox a welcomed addition in West Virginia WR room
Wide receiver Preston Fox was welcomed back to West Virginia with open arms.
After initially announcing his retirement in early January, the redshirt senior with one season of eligibility remaining decided that he wasn’t quite done with the game. So, he contacted head coach Rich Rodriguez with the intent of returning to play out his final season with the Mountaineers.
It didn’t take much to make the reunion a reality.
“He's a good football player; I think all his teammates love him and it's good to have him. He's a guy that can help us, I think, in all our receiving positions because he's a smart guy,” Rodriguez said.
Fox has been working with the team since that point and his experience over his career makes him a candidate to potentially play all over the field at the four different wide receiver positions.
“I think he’s going to be able to learn them all, so he’ll probably play both inside and outside,” Rodriguez said.
A former walk-on who earned a scholarship over the course of his career, Fox is somebody that wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett was already aware of when he was hired for the position. That is in large part because of his meetings with strength and conditioning coach Mike Joseph as well as those receivers in the program.
“Everybody told me how hard he worked. He was a great guy,” Garrett said.
The two then spoke when Garrett first arrived but Fox had already made his decision on hanging up his cleats before his eventual return. That alone shows his passion for the game.
“I think he got in the workforce and realized this football thing’s pretty good. And he’s a guy that loves football. He didn’t want to be away from it. But I’m excited to have him back,” Garrett said.
And it wasn’t just Garrett either as the rest of the wide receiver room was excited to see him back with the team. It was something that Garrett paid close attention to after the Morgantown native rejoined the team and there was nothing but genuine excitement from everybody involved.
“And not just in the receiver room, through the whole team. So, that showed me a lot,” Garrett said.
Now, the plan is to get Fox up to speed in a new offense, but the Mountaineers are excited to have another option to sort through that has already made an impact in Morgantown.
“He’s playing a little bit of catch-up, but he has a lot of respect from his teammates, too,” Garrett said.
Sign up today to get the latest news on WVU's coaching search and join in on the discussion on our premium forum, The Blue Lot.
Sign Up https://gowvu.us/ukx
Promo Code: WVUMBB
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE todayto stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
Topics
-
Speed the name of the game for West Virginia and Rodriguez
West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez recognizes that his team has to get faster. “Up front on defense, at linebacker, in the secondary, at wide receiver, at running back, offensive line,” he ...Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Toughness, athleticism key components to wide receiver room
West Virginia wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett demands one thing above all else in his position room.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
Report: Bradley set to be named West Virginia inside WRs coach
West Virginia has found their next inside wide receivers coach in Logan Bradley per a report.FootballScoop initially reported the news.Bradley had been at Auburn where he worked as an offensive ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Porter inherits talented West Virginia RB room
West Virginia has a new running backs coach, in the experienced Larry Porter. Porter, a 27-year coaching veteran, came to Morgantown after previously serving as the running backs coach and special ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
2025 WR signee Jalil Hall opens recruitment
2025 wide receiver Jalil Hall has opened up his recruitment after signing with West Virginia in December.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Spurs' De'Aaron Fox makes explosive comments ahead of his Sacramento return: Kings 'didn't have my back'
Fox said he told team he wouldn't play for another coach in Sacramento after Mike Brown was firedCBS Sports - Mar. 8 -
Rich Rodriguez is back at West Virginia and taking stand against player entitlement
Rich Rodriguez is back for his second tenure at West Virginia and has thoughts on player entitlement, and the value of a demanding coach.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
Porteous pleased with Preston move
Preston defender Ryan Porteous has said he believes joining on loan from Watford has boosted his international prospects with Scotland.Yahoo Sports - 6d -
Kings blow out De'Aaron Fox and Spurs in PG's return to Sacramento
Sacramento gave De'Aaron Fox a warm welcome, then a rough night.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 8
More from Yahoo Sports
-
S. Africa take big World Cup lead, but may lose points over Mokoena
South Africa beat Benin 2-0 on Tuesday to lead an African 2026 World Cup qualifying group by five points, but the advantage could be reduced for fielding an ineligible player last week.- Nigeria ...Yahoo Sports - 37m -
Kim Mulkey laments JuJu Watkins injury, calls her 'such a great ambassador of our game'
During a radio appearance on Wednesday, LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey spoke highly about USC's JuJu Watkins after her season-ending injury.Yahoo Sports - 37m -
The Astros brought Cam Smith’s family into the clubhouse to surprise him about making the big-league roster
A moment that Cam Smith will never forget.Yahoo Sports - 38m -
Bills have big plans for Dalton Kincaid after injury-filled second season
Brandon Beane was quick to pump the brakes. It was April 27, 2023 and Beane just traded up two spots to select tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the draft. Not only that, but the ...Yahoo Sports - 38m -
Top 50 people who will impact the 2025 MLB season: Nos. 50-26
From Chandler Simpson to Mike Trout to Fernando Tatis Jr., these are the names to know as the regular season begins.Yahoo Sports - 41m
More in Sports
-
Women's Sweet 16 rankings: UConn is No. 1, USC holds tight at No. 4
The Sweet 16 is set, and there's a new No. 1. But all eyes are on USC and injured JuJu Watkins.ESPN - 36m -
Picks, predictions, key players for every women's Sweet 16 game
Why might every Sweet 16 team win its regional semifinal matchup in Birmingham and Spokane? We predict the winners.ESPN - 36m -
Cal Raleigh contract extension: Mariners locking up star catcher on six-year, $105 million deal, per reports
The deal will buy out Raleigh's first three years of free agencyCBS Sports - 37m -
S. Africa take big World Cup lead, but may lose points over Mokoena
South Africa beat Benin 2-0 on Tuesday to lead an African 2026 World Cup qualifying group by five points, but the advantage could be reduced for fielding an ineligible player last week.- Nigeria ...Yahoo Sports - 37m -
Kim Mulkey laments JuJu Watkins injury, calls her 'such a great ambassador of our game'
During a radio appearance on Wednesday, LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey spoke highly about USC's JuJu Watkins after her season-ending injury.Yahoo Sports - 37m