The start of fall practice on Wednesday meant the release of the official 2023 roster. While 99% of the players we anticipated to be included were accounted for, senior wide receiver Jalen Preston was surprisingly nowhere to be found. While many of us speculated a potential retirement from the game altogether, confirmation regarding his plans came to light on Thursday afternoon.
According to Travis Brown of The Eagle, Preston, who signed a NIL deal with Gage Gandy Bail Bonds and would have been entering his sixth season with the program, expressed to Brown that he would forgo what would be his final season with the Aggies to train for the following year’s 2024 NFL Draft. Preston reportedly declined to answer when asked to provide a reason why he chose this new route.
Spending a majority of his time as a backup after his initial redshirt season, Preston’s most productive campaign came in 2021, appearing in 12 games while recording 255 yards and two touchdowns, as his best game came in the season finale loss against LSU with 57 yards and all two of his touchdowns on the year.
As a four-star receiver out of Manvel High School, Preston’s highly productive senior season included 47 receptions for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading to earning District 23-5A most valuable player award and an Under Armor All-America spot to boot.
From a depth chart perspective, Preston’s competition at the X receiver spot was difficult, to say the least, as Evan Stewart and Noah Thomas have solidified themselves as starters at the spot in varying packages.
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