2025 Football Roster
Jersey Number 41
Oliver Straw
- Position:
- Punter
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 210
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Melbourne, Australia
- High School:
- Mentone Grammar School
- Preseason All-Big 12 Third Team (Phil Steele)
- Has played in 37 career games
- Has 126 career punts for 5,420 yards, averaging 43.0 yards per kick and placed 52 inside the opponents 20-yard line and only had six touchbacks
2024 (Jr.)
- Earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors
- Saw action in all 13 games
- Finished with 49 punts for 2,084 yards, averaging 42.5 yards per punt and had a long of 63 yards
- Placed 18 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, had eight punts of 50 yards or more and only had two touchbacks
- Ranked No. 6 in Big 12 Conference for punting average
- Punted twice for 89 total yards in the Frisco Bowl against Memphis
- Recorded two punts for 96 total yards and a long of 52 at Texas Tech
- Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week (UCF)
- Totaled four punts for 200 yards against UCF, pinning two inside the 20 with a season-high tying long of 57
- Punted three times for 89 yards against Baylor
- Finished with five punts for 218 yards and a long of 46 yards at Cincinnati
- Tallied three punts for a total of 138 yards at Arizona
- Punted the ball two times against Kansas State, totaling 99 yards with a long of 54
- Recorded four punts for 154 yards against Kansas, placing a pair inside the 20
- Finished with three punts for 135 yards, including a season-long 57 yarder, at Pitt
- Added just one punt for 46 yards against UAlbany
- Punted four times for 176 total yards, averaging 44 yards per punt in the season opener against Penn State
2023 (So.)
- College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
- Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team
- Saw action in all 13 games as the punter
- All-Big 12 Conference Honorable-Mention
- Finished with 43 punts for 1,853 punts, averaging 43.1 yards per punt, with a long of 61 yards
- Placed 19 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, had eight punts of 50 yards or more, had 21 punts results in a fair catch and two that rolled into end zone for a touchback
- Punted three times against North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, totaling 145 yards with a season long of 61 yards
- Four punts at Baylor traveled a total of 158 yards, including a long of 42
- Finished with six punts for 248 yards and a long of 47 at Oklahoma
- Totaled 84 yards on two punts and placed two inside the 20-yard line at UCF
- Three punts against Oklahoma State traveled a total of 136 yards and an average of 45.3 yards per punt
- Punted three times for 111 yards and a long of 39 at Houston
- Had five punts for 230 yards, averaging 46.0 yards per punt at TCU; season-long of 58 yards and placed three inside the 20-yard line
- Season-high six punts went for a total of 246 yards and a long of 50 against Texas Tech
- Recorded three punts for 133 yards and a long of 50 in the Pitt game
- Lone punt against Duquesne went for 52 yards
- Punted four times for 168 yards in the season opener at Penn State, longest punt went for 50 yards
2022 (Fr.)
- College Football News Freshman All-American Honorable Mention
- Academic All-Big 12 Conference Rookie Team
- Saw action in all 11 games in which he played
- WVU did not record a punt against Towson
- Finished with 48 punts for 2,029 yards, averaging 42.3 yards per kick
- Registered 17 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, had seven that were 50 yards or more, two touchbacks and had a long punt of 63 yards
- Played in 11 games in his first season at WVU
- Punted eight times for 352 yards at Oklahoma State, placing two inside the 20; longest punt of the day went for 55 yards
- Big 12 Conference Co-Special Teams Player of the Week (Oklahoma)
- Finished with six punts for 263 yards, with a long of 51 against Oklahoma; four of six punts vs. OU were placed inside the 20
- Punted nine times for 385 yards, including a long of 61 yards, at Iowa State
- Tallied 130 yards on three punts vs. TCU; longest punt of the game went for 55 yards
- Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at Texas Tech
- Punted five times for 233 yards at Texas Tech, with a career-long of 63; WVU’s longest punt since Tyler Sumpter at Baylor on Oct. 9, 2021 (72)
- Averaged 40-plus yards per punt for the second consecutive game vs. Baylor
- Placed two of his four punts inside the 20 at Texas
- Punted twice for 77 yards at Virginia Tech, with a long of 42 yards
- Made his Mountaineer debut at Pitt; averaged 41.2 yards on six punts (247 yards) and placed three inside the 20-yard line
- Enrolled at WVU in January 2022
High School
- Strong athletic background playing both Australian rules football and basketball
- Kicks with either foot and can punt spiral or end-over-end rugby style
- Has dual citizenship in United States and Australia
- Trained with Prokick Australia
- Prokick Australia has produced five Ray Guy Award winners and 17 All-Americans
- Prokick Australia has placed three punters on current Big 12 rosters
- Played Australian rules football for his high school team and local AAU team for seven years
- Foreign-exchange student who was born in Hoboken, New Jersey
- Played high school football (DE/TE) at Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch, New Jersey
Personal
- Son of Anthony and Joanne Straw
- One of two children (1 brother)
- Graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance in May 2025
- Currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration
- Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
- Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll
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