Veteran WVU Punter Oliver Straw Granted TRO, Will Transfer

Four-year starters are hard to find these days, especially one who stays at one school and doesn't exit when a coaching change is made. Even for a punter, those guys are hard to come by.

Aussie Oliver Straw is one of the few who accomplished that, being the Mountaineers' starter for three years under Neal Brown and one year under Rich Rodriguez. Straw loves West Virginia and assumed that his collegiate career was over when he graduated, as did the WVU coaching staff, hence why they added Colorado State transfer Bryan Hansen.

With several players around the country seeking a fifth year of eligibility now that the NCAA has moved to a new age-based model, Straw is looking for one more go at it in college football. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers don't have a roster spot for him, and with Hansen in place, there's no reason for him to even consider coming back, even if WVU had a spot for him.

Straw announced on X on Friday, "I am officially entering the transfer portal. I have a Temporary Restraining Order granted by a Judge in West Virginia against the NCAA. Please contact Drew Koehler or message me directly."

Last season, Straw punted 66 times and had 16 downed inside the 20-yard line compared to just three touchbacks. He averaged 42.6 yards per boot and had a net average of 39.1. He was a steady and reliable specialist from the moment he set foot on campus. He will be a nice late addition to some team out there searching for help.

During Friday's press conference, WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez was asked about the new guy, Bryan Hansen, and couldn't help but talk very highly of him.

"We wanted a proven guy, and he's proven coming from Colorado State. And he's just been booming the ball," he said. "I mean, even in the last week it's gotten amazing how he's been doing it. We ask him to do some different kicks sometimes, and he's very coachable. He's also an outstanding holder, so we feel really comfortable with that."

Last year with the Rams, Hansen punted 57 times and was third in all of college football with an average of 47.9 yards per punt. His net average of 44.2 ranked 10th nationally. Sometimes punters can be a bit of an afterthought, but they are a critical piece to the game, and with Hansen, WVU has a legit field flipper.

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