Preston Fox Shines on Special Teams, Shares Insights on Return Strategy

West Virginia wide receiver and punt/kick returner Preston Fox spoke Monday following a road win against Cincinnati this past weekend.

Fox had an impressive game returning punts and kicks, adding another solid performance for his Mountaineer career.

Fox stated his mentality and thought process when asked what goes into being a good returner.

“Punt return, it’s all about confidence. I’ve talked about that in the past. Just taking as many reps as you can at it. A lot of people aren’t very good at it; it’s just a skillset I’ve had and I picked that up through baseball, playing baseball growing up, that really helped me with punt returns,” Fox said.

In relation to kick returns, Fox shared a slightly different approach he takes to it.

“I’m not the fastest guy; I can just go. I don’t think I just do. So when I see a hole, I kind of hit it. A lot of guys get scared and hold back or cut; you can’t do that; you got to go full speed at it,” Fox said.

This past weekend against Cincinnati, Fox had three kick returns for 84 yards, averaging 28 yards per return, with a long of 43 yards. He also added three punt returns for 46 yards, averaging 15.3 yards per return, with a long of 29.

These returns gave WVU a favorable field position on multiple occasions, and the entire special teams unit significantly contributed to the team’s 31-24 road win.

Fox asked if the return team saw certain advantages regarding the opponent. Fox said they ultimately did, which may have led to his success in the return game.

“I would say their kicker didn’t play as well as he should’ve,” Fox said. “I mean, he would kick a lot of them short, so we were taking advantage of that.”

A significant part of the punt return game is the decision to call for a fair catch. Fox says it’s last-second and one he may get wrong from time to time.

“It’s just a feel thing. Just kind of got to make up my mind last second and sometimes I make the wrong decision as you guys have seen, but it is what it is,” Fox said.

WVU and Preston Fox hope to continue their success in the return game and special teams this weekend when they take on Big 12 opponent Baylor. The game will begin at 4 p.m. at Milan Puskar Stadium.