About a year ago at this time, Scotty Fox was about to finish his time at Mentor High School and enroll early at West Virginia University, where he was an touted dual-threat quarterback recruit. How the next 12 months would have unfolded was anyone’s guess. “Pretty crazy, and a little bit unexpe cted,” said Fox to The News-Herald about his just completed freshman season for the Mountaineers. West Virginia quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. runs past Houston defensive lineman Eddie Walls III during the first half Nov. 1 in Houston. (Eric Christian Smith - The Associated Press) How it played out was definitely unexpected. Fox began camp in August as one of five quarterbacks vying for snaps under first-year coach Rich Rodriguez, who is on his second go-round with WVU. Against Robert Morris in the season-opener, Fox went in for a series late in his team’s win and quickly scored on a 59-yard run. The Fox buzz began right then and there. Two weeks later, he was again thrust into action, this time in WVU’s rivalry game vs. Pittsburgh, dubbed “The Backyard Brawl.” It was a difficult game for Fox. He threw two interceptions before giving way to Nicco Marchiol, who led the Mountaineers to a comeback victory in overtime. “We won, and that was awesome,” said Fox. “One of the coolest experiences being a part of that rivalry. But from a player’s standpoint, it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through. To throw two picks like that and they happened so fast, it shows that you can’t get too high or too low … You have to have a short memory. “After the Pitt game, I know that’s not how I play. I just kept working to get another opportunity.” Fox did, and he ran with that second chance. He started WVU’s last five games and guided the team to a 2-3 finish. Included in that stretch were back-to-back wins at Houston and then at home against Colorado and two 300-yard passing games. The first was 301 yards in a 23-17 loss to TCU, which was a school record for a freshman. Three weeks later at Arizona State (a 25-23 loss), Fox threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns but threw an interception in the final seconds. Fox said his most memorable game during that stretch was the win at Houston (ranked No. 22 at the time). The QB was 13 of 22 for 157 yards and a TD and rushed for 65 yards and two more touchdowns on 10 carries. “Every week as an offense, especially after the TCU game when we were so close, you saw a spark, a little something each week,” said Fox. “There were glimpses of where we wanted to be as an offense.” Before the TCU game, Fox saw considerable action the previous week against Central Florida. The week leading up to that game, he received a lot of practice reps with the first team, a sign of how the rest of the season would go from there. It was in that UCF game, a 45-13 setback, that Fox had a moment from within. “I overanalyzed everything,” he said. “I was thinking too much instead of just playing. After that at TCU, that’s when I realized when you just react and don’t think too much and attack the weakness in the defense, you’ll start playing better and I did.” Another step back also took Fox back to his days playing under Coach Matt Gray with the spread attack of the high-powered Mentor offense. “I told the coaches in a few meetings that our (WVU) offense is so similar to Mentor’s, except we have a tight end here,” said Fox. “I think that really helped me. Here, it’s about where to go with the ball based off the defense.” For the season in 10 games played, Fox completed 101 of 170 passes (59.4%) for 1,276 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough for Fox to earn a spot on the honorable mention All-Big 12 team. Not bad for a young man who was unsure what to expect other than staying ready and focused. Now the question is what’s next for Fox in 2026? The Mountaineers’ season ended at 4-8, and Rodriguez said on his weekly radio show after the completion of the season some conversations with certain players would be difficult, meaning some will likely not return for next season. Fox said he’s already met with Rodriguez and others on staff, and he’s obviously in the plans for 2026. Fox also said he has not been promised anything in regard to the starting position. Like most FBS programs across the nation, WVU will likely lose players to the transfer portal, and add players through the portal, possibly even more quarterbacks. “That’s up to the coaches,” said Fox. “The only thing I can do is prepare the best I can.” At the very worst, considering how the season ended for Fox as the starter, it seems reasonable to think moving forward Fox will get a shot to be WVU’s No. 1 signal-caller. Time will tell on that. ...read more read less