Preston Fox comes back strong for final season with Mountaineers

West Virginia redshirt senior wide receiver Preston Fox returns for his final season after considering retirement following the 2024 campaign.

As a Morgantown native, he joined the Mountaineers in 2020 as a walk-on. He has recorded 43 receptions for 548 yards and three touchdowns across four seasons.

Fox set career-highs in 2023, finishing with 368 receiving yards on 26 receptions with two touchdowns. His numbers were cut in half after an injury-ridden 2024 campaign, which ultimately led to his retirement announcement on Jan. 6. 

Injuries forced a difficult decision

In 2024, Fox battled a series of injuries, including lower back pain and a concussion, ultimately leading to his decision to retire. He said he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to continue playing in a press conference on Tuesday. 

“Initially, [I retired] because of all the injuries that I had in my final year,” he said. “My lower back was hurting really bad early in the year, and then at the end of the year, with the concussion, it just kind of set me off. And my mind just didn’t want to play anymore.” 

Later in the press conference, Fox revealed he partially tore his calf and dealt with hamstring issues throughout the season. Despite the lingering injuries, Fox managed to appear in eight games. 

“I partially tore my calf and then had a little bit of hamstring issues. That was in the Pitt game,” Fox said. … “It was about three or four weeks before I started slowly getting back into it.”

After some time away from football, Fox realized how much he missed it. He texted head coach Rich Rodriguez, who welcomed him back.

“I started to miss the game,” Fox said. “I was going to the gym thinking about football. I decided to text Coach and set up a meeting with him, hoping he would give me the chance to come back, and he did.” 

The time off allowed Fox to rest and recover. He believes he’s in the best shape of his career. 

“I feel good right now,” he said. “I needed a couple of months to get my body back.”

When asked if this is the healthiest he’s ever been, Fox said, “Honestly, yeah. I feel good.” 

Fox played his entire college career under former head coach Neal Brown, who awarded him a scholarship in 2022. He said he is excited for the new brand of football Rodrigez brings to the program. 

Fox embraces WVU’s physical approach

“It’s old school football. It’s hard edge, and I’m excited about it,” Fox said. “It’s a different way of football, but it’s training us to win.” 

Rodriguez is aiming to speed up the Mountaineer offense, and Fox said the pace has been the biggest adjustment.

“The speed and learning the offense was the biggest adjustment for me,” he said. “I had a whole different offense and then had to learn a whole new one in a short amount of time. It was hard for me, but I did it.”

As the season approaches, it is unclear what role Fox will play in the offense, but his renewed health could make him valuable in the receiver and special teams rotation.

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