Rich Rodriguez Praises Preston Fox’s Game-Changing Impact in Opener

When Rich Rodriguez returned to Morgantown, West Virginia, to coach the Mountaineers, Preston Fox wasn’t certain he was going to use his last year of eligibility. After years of playing football at the college level, Fox’s body had been beaten up quite a bit. So much such that he pondered turning in his cleats, but he changed his mind. 

Fox started to miss the game and actually felt as time went on, he healed his body. He decided to shoot his shot and reach out to Rich Rod via text. He asked if there were any spots left, and Rodriguez welcomed him back. After the Mountaineers beat Robert Morris 45-3 on Saturday, Fox made his veteran impact felt. Rodriguez spoke about how thrilled he is to have Fox on this roster.

“We’re really happy because Preston was done, he was graduated and ready to move on. And then he talked about coming back, and I said I’d love to have you. I watched a little bit of film on him, knew he was a great young man, knew he could help our team. He’s continued to get better. His return game was really good. There were some really funky punts that were all over the place. He did a great job with that. And he did a great job at receiver. He’s a guy you can count on. He’s got a lot of respect from the guys on the staff and the team, for sure.”

Fox returned five punts for 52 yards on Saturday against the Colonials, with a long return of 28. He also returned one kick for 36 yards. Fox didn’t record a catch, but he made his veteran presence felt on special teams. Rich Rod is happy to have him around because he knows he can trust Fox.

Fox and the Mountaineers will look to continue the momentum with another victory against Ohio on Saturday. WVU is seeking a chance to beat the Bobcats on the road to get to 2-0 on the season.