The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 12 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 12: redshirt senior running back Preston Rex.
Preston Rex's background
First off, Preson Rex is a BYU guy. He is the son of former BYU tight end legend Byron, and his brother, Isaac, was an outstanding tight end for the Cougars in his own right. It just feels right to have another Rex on the BYU roster.
Preston played his prep ball in San Clemente, California. He was a three-star prospect with an 82 grade coming out of high school way back in the class of 2020. As a good-but-not-great prospect who already had ties to BYU, he was lightly recruited back then. The only offer appearing on his 247 Sports profile is BYU's. He was considered an "athlete" coming out of high school while playing both wide receiver and safety.
Before beginning his college football career he served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Texas and Chile.
Rex's past and present with BYU
After returning home from his mission in 2022 he appeared in two games during his redshirt season and was credited with one pass defended.
In 2023 as a redshirt freshman he took a step forward. Rex appeared in nine games that year with 17 tackles, including a career-high eight tackles against TCU.
But in 2024 he couldn't build on the momentum from the previous season. BYU's quality and depth at safety that year was off the charts, and as a result Preston was buried on the depth chart. He appeared in just one game in 2024 without recording any stats.
Entering last year, his redshirt junior season, the writing was on the wall that he wasn't going to see the field much if he remained at safety. In 2025 he made the change from safety to running back to help build depth in BYU's backfield, and the change at least got him on the field.
Last year Preston was thrust into action after Sione Moa missed extensive time and bell cow LJ Martin dealt with a series of dings and dents. In a series of four consecutive Big 12 conference games last year -- Arizona, Utah, Iowa State, and Texas Tech -- Rex was given 13 carries for 30 yards plus three receptions for 50 yards. While he didn't singlehandedly solve BYU's depth problem at running back last year, he performed his new role admirably when called upon.
Entering 2026, BYU still somehow has depth issues at running back. Both LJ Martin and Sione Moa are healthy, and provided they remain healthy the entire season, there won't be many touches for their backups. But running back is a dangerous position, and injuries happen.
This year Preston Rex will compete with other RBs like freshman Devaughn Eka and returning rotational player Jovesa Damuni, but there's no reason why Rex can't beat them out for playing time now that he has a full season at his new position under his belt. Plus, as a former wide receiver, he can offer a reliable target for Bear Bachmeier out of the backfield on passing downs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google