Everyone loves a hometown kid, especially when they’re doing all the right things consistently, which is what West Virginia wide receiver Preston Fox has done according to Bilal Marshall.
Fox grew up in Morgantown and played at Morgantown High School on both sides of the ball earning him West Virginia All-State AAA honors as a senior. Now entering his redshirt-junior season at WVU, Fox looks to build off last season and be a prominent characteristic of the Mountaineers’ offense.
“Preston Fox, he’s shown up every single day and made a play,” Marshall, West Virginia’s wide receivers coach said when asked who his most consistent player was.
In fact, Marshall believes Fox is so consistent and reliable that he jokingly compared him to a Honda Accord last year. Fox has been returning punts for WVU these past two seasons and also started returning kickoffs last season, but has worked on building his stature to be more successful at the wide receiver position.
“This offseason, he’s just made such a commitment to his body and getting bigger and getting stronger. He’s playing like it now he’s not falling all over the place, he’s not getting moved off his line on the line of scrimmage,” Marshall said of Fox. “He’s really doing everything that he’s supposed to do and making plays.”
Fox walked on to West Virginia in 2020, but has emerged as a potential weapon in West Virginia’s offense just last season. He recorded 23 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 and also got one carry, which he took for three yards. In 2022 he caught four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown, having just one catch for eight yards prior to that.
With the Mountaineers having a relatively young receiver core, Fox can also look to be a leader and mentor to those new to college football, having made his way up the depth chart from the bottom. His work ethic and consistency may be a true testament to his character, possibly allowing him to make a big leap forward in terms of his production during the 2024 season.
