MORGANTOWN — When comparing athletes to motor vehicles, you tend to focus on their most-positive aspects. You mostly draw comparisons to the speed of a sports car or perhaps the power of a truck. A mid-sized SUV probably isn’t your go-to comparison when talking about an athlete, unless you are WVU wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall.
“He’s like a Honda Accord,” Marshall while describing redshirt-sophomore Preston Fox. Shockingly, Marshall meant it as a compliment.
“He’s consistent, he’s reliable, he won’t break down on you and he’ll be there when you need him the most. I’m excited about where he’s going and he’s a guy who we’re not afraid to play; he’s proven that he can play at this level.”
Fox, who caught four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown last season, was one of several receivers Marshall talked about after practice on Thursday. In his first year as WVU’s receivers coach, Marshall has had to rebuild the room with several newcomers, transfers and depth returners.
“Nothing’s set in stone, ever,” Marshall said. “It’s a very fluid thing that we’ve got going on and the guys who are hot are the guys that are going to play. Week one somebody can get real hot and if he’s hot and he’s doing everything right, he’s probably going to be the starter the next week.”
NC State transfer Devin Carter and senior Cortez Braham are the only receivers to appear to be locked into major roles right now, with about six others, including Fox, fighting for playing time.
Carter, who played four seasons with the Wolfpack, has immediately stepped in as WVU’s new number-one receiver.
“There were some things that we wanted to fix in his game and he’s done that because he puts the work in,” Marshall said. “He’s been awesome in this room bringing the young guys along and talking to the guys who have been here before in other roles. He’s been a great leader.”
Along with Carter, the Mountaineers brought in three other transfer receivers in Noah Massey (Angelo State), Ja’Shaun Poke (Kent State) and EJ Horton (Marshall). Poke is primarily a kick return specialist but has 81 receptions in his career and could see use in the passing game as well.
“He’s a guy who is really good with the ball in his hands at getting north and south,” Marshall said. “He’s like a little bowling ball when he gets his hands on the ball — he can accelerate really quickly. He’s a guy we’re going to try and get the ball in his hands in short spaces and let him go to work.”
Returning from last season’s team alongside Braham and Fox are junior Jeremiah Aaron and redshirt-freshmen Jarel Williams and Hudson Clement.
Like Braham, Aaron is in his second year at WVU after transferring from junior college before last season.
“Jeremiah is starting to make some strides,” Marshall said. “My biggest thing with him is continuing to play fast and he knows that. He has to put pressure on defenders because he is extremely athletic and sometimes he tries to get too cute in the route game. … Just play fast, don’t think and just go.”
Aaron caught 12 passes for 124 yards and a score last season, just a tick behind Braham’s 14 receptions for 147 yards.
“I think he’s made a humongous jump this summer,” Marshall said of Braham. “It’s a different workload when you’re a starter as opposed to a backup and I think he’s finally started to figure that out and it’s actually exciting to see him play. He’s playing at an extremely high level right now.”
Clement, a W.Va. high school state champion with Martinsburg in 2021, walked on last season and has begun to carve out his role on the team.
“Hud has made significant strides from the spring to the summer to now, and I think a lot of people can second that,” Marshall said. “There’s a role on this team for him and he’s going to continue to grow. By the time he’s an older guy, I would not be surprised if he is ‘the’ guy.”
Finally, Marshall believes the Mountaineers will be able to receive contributions from true freshmen Rodney Gallagher and Treylan Ray.
“I think Rodney’s a little ahead of what I thought he was going to be,” Marshall admitted. “For a guy who hasn’t played the position for a long time, he has really started to understand how to play the position and he has a knack for being able to get in and out of breaks. I knew he was quick, I knew he was twitchy, he catches the ball really well and, surprisingly, he’s been a capable blocker.”
Gallagher, WVU’s highest-rated recruit in the 2023 class, played quarterback last season at Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, Pa.
Marshall said he wants at least six receivers to be ready to rotate in and out of action this season. Based on fall camp thus far, however, Marshall thinks that number could be closer to eight or nine when the team opens the season at Penn State in two weeks.
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