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MORGANTOWN -- While the state of West Virginia has produced perhaps one of the five greatest wide receivers in football history in Randy Moss, it has not produced a particularly fruitful crop of homebred receivers for its state university.
WVU, of course, has over the years had to import its most exciting and productive receivers, from Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin to Kevin White, David Saunders, Shawn Foreman, Gary Jennings, David Sills V, Khory Ivy and Chris Henry.
While watching Saturday's Blue/Gold Spring Game, the thought crossed an idle mind that this year that may be changing and for what may be the first time in nearly a century, WVU could actually line up a pair of wide receivers capable of running 1-2 in receptions for a team that is willing to throw the ball around.
That, of course, would be Preston Fox and Hudson Clement, two players that despite coming from different sides of the state have followed strikingly similar paths to the position they find themselves in entering this season.
Fox played his football in Morgantown, Clement in Martinsburg. Neither drew much recruiting attention at the Division 1 level, walked on at West Virginia, were surprised when awarded scholarships and now have become key cogs in what figures to be a dangerous passing game on the receiving end of Garrett Greene passes.
Fox famously earned his scholarship two years ago after a spectacular performance in the spring game as he put on display his ability to make acrobatic catches downfield, A diving catch at the sideline from Goose Crowder was the play of the day, leading to a post-game celebration of his promotion to scholarship.
"That was probably one of the best feelings in the world," Fox said as he thought about it last year. "Seeing my family walk in, I just knew that was the moment. I almost had tears come out of my eyes; that was the best feeling ever."
Fox took advantage of the scholarship and fought his way into the receiver rotation and into a punt returning role.
"As a walk-on, you really have to put yourself into any position to get playing time," Fox said. "Through punt returns, that helped me get on the field first. If you want to get on the field, you play special teams.
"It's been a hard journey, but it's always going to be hard as a walk-on," Fox added. "Being a role player now is big-time. A lot of it was hard work and now they can just plug me in at any spot."
Clement found himself in the right spot at the right time last year when, after the Penn State game, a couple of injuries got him on the field in place of Devin Carter and his receiving debut as a Mountaineer will go down in history.
Granted the opponent was Duquesne, but you play whoever lines up on the other side of the ball and Clement latched onto three touchdown passes among the five he caught for 177 yards -- the third most yards gained in a single game by a West Virginia native at WVU.
After the game he was awarded his scholarship.
"That was the greatest day of my life, definitely. It was life-changing, literally. I was a walk on and no one knew my name. I got an opportunity and … yep, life-changing," he remembered.
Only Oscar Patrick, a dude before his time when he caught 10 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown against Penn State in 1968 and Zach Abraham, who caught 6 for 180 yard, including an 81-yard pass, in 1994 against Pitt.
After Saturday's spring game in which he made a difficult catch for a touchdown from Nicco Marchiol, Clement reflected upon his breakout moment.
"It's been a long time coming and I was blessed with the opportunity last year, made the best out of it. We had a few guys go down last year and needed a few of our young guys to step up and I just had to do what I had to do," he said.
"Now we are trying to build moving forward."
The stories of Fox and Clement will be passed on from year to year to year to high school kids who are disappointed with their recruiting status and used as proof that a walk-on can make it, just as undrafted free agents prove over and over they can do the same in the NFL.
Asked what message he would give to a walk on this season, Clement answered:
"Put your head down and work. I got blessed with a great opportunity and performed. You have to be ready when your number is called. You are working for the unknown. You're hoping to get a start, hoping to get that opportunity. You just got to show up."
And Fox offered a similar sentiment when he talked about it last season.
"I was definitely bummed that I didn't have any offers, but a lot of players don't get any chances like that and are overlooked," Fox said. "But I got my chance and I took it.
"It was never really a thought that I could (play at WVU) until my senior year and I got that offer to be a preferred walk-on. Growing up, I've always wanted to come here; this is my home."
On the field the two have a different style of getting things done. Clement is more the traditional type of receiver, reminiscent of David Sills V, perhaps, a player who runs solid routes, is hard to tackle and has a nose for the end zone.
Fox, on the other hand, is one of those guys who somehow finds a way to come down with the ball no matter the degree of difficulty of the catch.
"Usually, I put myself into positions to make hard catches," Fox said this spring "I've always had really good hands, so I use that. I'm kind of quick, I'm not a fast guy at all, but a little separation is all I need and I can get the ball in my hands."
You may have noticed a viral video last week of a one-handed grab Fox made on the sideline while staggering out of bounds during a practice.
That was the rule, not the exception, the offensive coordinator said during one of his interview sessions this spring.
"He's always made phenomenal catches," Scott said. "That kid has always produced and he deserves to be on the football field."
And Garrett Greene has discovered that if he can get the ball within an arm's reach of Fox, it's a completion.
"He's one of those guys who you feel like every ball you throw him he's going to catch it. And, if he drops one or the DB makes a play on it or he doesn't haul it in, you are shocked that he didn't catch it. Having that on third down and must win downs, it's great," Greene said.
As we head toward the summer, it's fair to look at what those two can accomplish as West Virginia natives for their careers.
Fox has only 417 career yards with two years left, but should be able to add say 1,200 yards the next two years it would give him 1,617 career yards. The most career yards receiving by a WVU native belongs to Steve Lewis of Hurricane, who played from 1974-78.
He had 1,718 yards on 111 catches and saw his career end as a senior to a broken collarbone, That certainly would be within reach of Clement should he have 3 strong years following a 418-yard freshman season.
Behind Lewis is James Jett, the Olympic sprinter, who caught only 67 passes in his career that ran from 1989-94 but gained 1,384 yards with 11 touchdowns, while Nate Stephens of Farmington had 1,316 yards on 76 catches and Patrick had 1,193 career yards on 78 catches.