West Virginia punter Oliver Straw met with the media yesterday and highlighted his offseason preparation and adaptation to a new style of punting, as he steers away from a traditional Australian style.
“Up until this point, I’d been mostly Australian-style punting,” said Straw, who is an Australian native.
The Australian style of punting involves the punter rolling out of the pocket in order to punt the football. But, under Coach Rodriguez, Straw will make the switch to spiral punting.
“We’ve transitioned to more spirals,” said Straw. “Traditional style punting and stuff, which I’ve really enjoyed.”
This switch has been a long time coming for Straw, and he has put immense work in to master this new craft.
“It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Straw. “I’ve put a lot of work into it this offseason and it’s something I’ve gotten really comfortable with now, to the point where I feel like I’m probably at the most dynamic I’ve been.”
Straw also credited his success to the new staff.
“Having the new staff come in and kind of introduce that and want that to happen is something that has been good for myself.”
The work and preparation Straw has put in to hone in on his new craft has been immeasurable, as Straw went to Nashville, Tennessee during spring break and worked alongside other NFL punters.
“I went down and trained in Nashville with two NFL guys on spring break,” said Straw. “Just kind of learning from people that have done it well at a high level and improving on the small things as well.”
As spring practice is coming to a swift close, Straw has proven himself to be a veteran leader on the new Rich Rodriguez-led football team. As Straw continues to mold his hands and hone in on his craft, Mountaineer fans can expect another stellar season from the Aussie punter.
