Nick O’Toole deserves shot at NFL

Former West Virginia punter Nick O’Toole has the swagger, personality and business sense of a NFL player. Now, he wants to show that he has the talent of one.

O’Toole, who wasn’t drafted or signed by a professional team this month, has earned try outs with a pair of teams.

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Shortly after the NFL Draft, O’Toole was invited to a rookie minicamp with the Minnesota Vikings. Two weeks later, he is getting a shot with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In both cases, O’Toole was working behind a talented set of punters as the Vikings have Jeff Locke and the Jaguars have Brad Norton.

O’Toole must stick out on his own. He certainly has the potential to do so.

In three years at West Virginia, O’Toole racked up 8,824 yards in punts. As a senior, he had a long of 65 yards, down from his career-high of 68 which he set in his sophomore year.

It was his sophomore year in which O’Toole really made a name for himself. The native of California was new to Morgantown and many Mountaineer fans were unsure of who this transfer really was.

Over the years, he grew a mustache, which morphed into the best beard in all of college football.

As he now begins a quest for professional stardom, O’Toole has ditched the facial hair and plans to get down to business in order to land a job in the NFL.

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O’Toole was consistent and stable for the Mountaineers. He handled kickoff and punting duties well on a special teams unit that was often criticized by the media and fans, alike. O’Toole was a solid, reliable punter for the Mountaineers.

For the 2016 WVU football team, head coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff are tasked with finding the best offensive options, finding a new defensive scheme and finding a capable replacement for O’Toole.

That’s the kind of player he was for the Mountaineers. That skill set should earn him a chance at a professional contract.