Michael Miller is the Site Manager of The Smoking Musket, covering the West Virginia Mountaineers since 2015.
This is the final stop in our 2025 WVU football position preview series, and we’ve saved the most overlooked group for last. Special teams rarely get the headlines in August, but they usually decide at least a game or two by November.
West Virginia enters 2025 with one of the Big 12’s most reliable punters in Oliver Straw, but everything else is unsettled. The Mountaineers have a kicking battle to resolve, a new long snapper to break in, and return duties still up for grabs. For a team looking to flip field position and squeeze out every point in Rich Rodriguez’s first season back, the margin on special teams could matter more than usual.
There’s no drama here. Senior Oliver Straw is locked in as WVU’s starter for a fourth straight season. The Australian has quietly been one of the best punters in the Big 12, averaging over 43 yards per kick with 52 career punts pinned inside the 20 and just six touchbacks.
He was named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-Big 12 third team and gives the Mountaineers a real weapon in the field position battle. Behind him, freshman Aidan Stire joins the roster out of Morgantown High. He’s unlikely to see the field this fall, but his presence gives WVU valuable insurance and a potential successor once Straw moves on.
This is the one real position battle left on special teams. Coastal Carolina transfer Kade Hensley arrives as the favorite after hitting 16 of 19 field goals last year and drilling all 45 extra points. He’s a veteran with three years of experience and the range to connect from just under 50 yards, which makes him the safest bet for field goals and PATs.
Pushing him is sophomore Ethan Head, who transferred from Tulane after handling kickoffs as a freshman. He went 4-for-5 on field goals and posted a 65% touchback rate on kickoffs, which could give him a clear role even if he’s not the primary placekicker.
Returners R.J. Kocan and Nate Flower are still in the mix for depth. Kocan has made one career extra point, while Flower handled a kickoff last season, but both face an uphill climb with the two transfers arriving.
It’s not glamorous, but it’s one of the most important jobs on the field. The competition comes down to Macguire Moss and Kaden Seller. Moss has the edge in experience after appearing in two games last fall, while Seller redshirted in his first season on campus.
Preston Fox is the steady hand WVU will lean on again. The senior was an All-Big 12 honorable mention last fall and enters 2025 on Phil Steele’s preseason third team as a return specialist. He posted 304 yards on kickoffs and 105 on punts last year, giving the Mountaineers a reliable option who makes good decisions with the ball.
Behind him, running back Cycnir Bowers brings elite straight-line speed — reportedly a 4.35 40 — that could make him a change-of-pace option. Jarod Bowie has the quickness to factor in as well, while Rodney Gallagher and Oran Singleton have repped at returner during camp. The staff has stressed that dependability will matter as much as explosiveness—whoever sees the field has to secure the ball first and flip field position second.
For all the questions on offense and defense, WVU’s special teams look like one of the program’s steadier units. A proven punter in Oliver Straw, an experienced transfer kicker in Kade Hensley, and multiple return options give Rich Rodriguez a reliable third phase to lean on. The execution may not be flashy, but in close games, this group has the pieces to tilt field position and steal points.
Will Kade Hensley’s consistency from Coastal Carolina carry over to the Big 12, or can Ethan Head make this a true kicker battle into the season?
Can WVU finally generate explosive plays in the return game, with Preston Fox steady but speed guys like Jarod Bowie and Cyncir Bowers waiting in the wings?
How much will Rich Rodriguez’s emphasis on special teams change the unit’s impact after being an afterthought in recent years?
Special teams don’t grab headlines in August, but they could quietly swing games for WVU this fall. The Mountaineers have a dependable foundation, the real question is whether this group can flip field position and steal points in close games — the kind of margins that matter in the Big 12.
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