Copyright Salt Lake City Deseret News
When Preston Rex got the message two weeks before preseason training camp that BYU football coach Kalani Sitake wanted to talk to the safety in his office, a myriad of thoughts ran through his mind. Did he do something wrong? Was he getting released from the team? Was he going to be asked to switch positions? Turns out, the latter was the correct answer. But there was more to it than that. Rex, who calls himself the “oldest redshirt sophomore on the team,” was asked by Sitake to move to the other side of the ball, and play running back. “I was a bit nervous at first, a bit surprised, but I said ‘yeah, let’s do it, let’s go,’” Rex told the Deseret News on October 21. “I called (offensive coordinator) Aaron Roderick and told him I was on board. It has been a good switch ever since.” Despite having never played running back before — he was a slot receiver and safety at San Clemente High School in Southern California before a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Chile and Texas — Rex quickly moved up the depth chart behind star running back LJ Martin, thanks in part to injuries sustained by Sione Moa, Enoch Nawahine and Jovesa Damuni, and his own playmaking ability. Rex is now listed as RB2 on the depth chart, although that doesn’t necessarily mean he will get more carries than the guys listed below him, Nawahine and Damuni. Another running back expected to make a big contribution in 2025, sophomore Pokaiaua Haunga, left the program for personal reasons during the summer. “I don’t know if there was a specific reason why they wanted to make the switch,” Rex said. “I think it was just a hunch from Kalani and some of the other coaches, because I have an offensive background. The Rex family is an offensive family.” Of course, Preston was referring to his father, Bryon Rex, who was an All-American tight end at BYU, and his older brother, Isaac Rex, who was a standout TE for the Cougars from 2019-2023. He called both of them after he got the news from Sitake, and both were also on board. “I was working really hard to get back from my ACL surgery and play safety,” Presto Rex said. “I was working on my footwork, doing DB drills, just getting really immersed with the defense every single day of the summer. But when I thought about it, I figured it would be a good opportunity. I think it’s panned out pretty well.” Indeed, it has. The 6-foot, 195-pound Rex, who is not as tall or as bulky as his brother and father, has had nine carries for 20 yards. More importantly, he has caught three passes for 50 yards, including big gainers in the wins over Arizona and Utah. “In high school, I was actually a lot more comfortable at receiver and on the offensive side of the ball,” he said. “That’s where most of my training was as a football player my entire life. A lot of those skills have translated, have kind of resurfaced.” Will LJ Martin, or Rex, be RB1 against Texas Tech? Preston Rex’s move to running back has received a lot more attention the past few weeks, or ever since Martin sustained an upper body injury in the first quarter of BYU’s 41-27 win over Iowa State and did not return to the game. On Tuesday, Roderick said that Martin, who leads the Big 12 in rushing at 98.6 yards per game, has been practicing and is expected to play in Saturday’s showdown with Texas Tech in Lubbock (10 a.m. MST, ABC). BYU is No. 7 in the first CFP rankings of the 2025 season, while Texas Tech is No. 8. “It’s not sure what percent he’ll be at yet,” Roderick said. “We’re still working our way through that, but I’m expecting him to be ready to play. … Just how much, we’re still working through that in practice, seeing how he feels day to day.” Rex got dinged up late in the ISU game as well, but Roderick said he’s good to go against the Red Raiders. “Preston is playing well and becoming a more complete running back every day,” Roderick said. “He hasn’t been a running back very long. But he’s a super athlete, and he’s doing a really good job.” Moa, who had 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown before suffering a major medical setback (compartment syndrome) on the plane ride back from East Carolina, most likely will not return to the lineup this season. Roderick said that, like Martin, Nawahine and Damuni used the bye week to get healthy, too. “Enoch’s a good player and then we’ve been getting Jovesa a lot of reps, too,” Roderick said. “We have a lot of lot of faith in Jovesa. He’s got juice, and he’s tough, and so if we need him, he’s ready to go as well.” Sitake, Nawahine amazed by Rex’s rise in offense A transfer from Utah State who has had more than his fair share of injuries, Nawahine said Rex has been a welcome addition to the running backs room and picked up the offense quickly. “He’s explosive from the backfield, as you can see,” Nawahine said. “He’s made huge plays in the open field when we have thrown him the ball. He’s another weapon in the backfield, and he’s physical. He’s not like the biggest running back, but he’s a physical guy, and he can step up and do anything that we can do.” Nawahine, who has had eight carries for 23 yards, said he is back to 100% and ready to back up Martin and Rex, if called upon. “It will probably be all of us, like in the Iowa State game after (Martin) went down,” Nawahine said. Meanwhile, Sitake has also been impressed by all the running backs in the room. They’ve all had to step up when the NCAA denied Hinckley Ropati’s appeal for another year of eligibility. When the RBs room got thin, Sitake remembered watching Preston Rex do his thing in high school and believed that would translate to BYU’s offense. “I remember him having the ball in his hands. I remember him returning punts and things like that. A lot of his film was offensive film,” Sitake said. “So this was a good moment where I felt like he could also just be able to compete for playing time at the running back position. I felt like he could make it a deeper position group.” Sitake reminded reporters that Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier once played linebacker for the Cougars, before being asked to move (back) to offense. “I think (Rex) has found himself a nice home. He feels really comfortable there, and he’s super smart. He understands the pass (protection). He understands what he does in the passing game. We’re utilizing him a lot of different ways and I’ve just been really proud of him. … Being from the Rex family, you should be able to catch the ball and handle the ball and get in the end zone.” Making the switch: Preston Rex has no regrets Rex doesn’t regret making the switch, not in the least. But he does regret not taking the football to the house against Utah, when for a brief moment it appeared there was an opening. The play went for 32 yards, but he still got a little bit of ribbing from his family and teammates for not getting to the end zone. “The safety took a good angle,” he said. “Shoutout to LJ. He had a great block. He sealed the edge for me to get around it. … I will (score) on the next one.” Most of the Rex family made the trip to Provo for the Utah game. Isaac and his wife, Lexi, were there with their two children, Luka and Eliza, from San Ramon, California. Isaac is working for PACS in the Bay Area. “Isaac was stoked that we got the win over Utah, man,” Preston said. “Isaac had a great time. Both my parents were there, along with my girlfriend (Deserae Falatea).” Off the field, Preston Rex is a junior in school and a business management major in the Marriott School of Business. “It is challenging, for sure, but I really love it, man,” Preston said. “The whole running backs room, and coach Harvey (Unga) have really brought me in and welcomed me with open arms. I’ve learned a lot from all of them. All the coaches, they’ve really taken care of me my entire time here at BYU.”
