Name: Connor Foley
School: Wisconsin-Platteville
Position: P
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 230

Q: What goals did you accomplish heading into your final collegiate season?

Even though my stats were not like the stats I had my junior season, I was able to earn my fourth straight All-Conference award. I had many punts that were shorter due to a shorter field and succeeded on getting plenty of punts downed inside the 10. My other goal was to become more of a leader and even though I was not a team captain, I helped teach my freshman backup and also talked about stuff with other younger players to help them out through their college careers.

Q: What would your coaches say about the type of player you are?

Coaches would say I am a hard worker at my craft as I would be practicing the small things on the sideline during practice when I was not actually punting. They would say I am a reliable weapon who can consistently get a good punt off and prevent return yards. Lastly they would say that my character is great on and off the field.

Q: When you are studying film, what do you focus on to improve your game?

I typically focus on my own film rather than opponents because punting is more on yourself rather than the opponents. I try and focus on where my follow through is and what my steps look like. Also I make sure my drop table is at a good height in order to hit punts with high hang times and that my drop is flat. When I do look at opponents film I really only check the returner out so I know that if we are facing a returner who is dangerous I will focus more on getting more hang time for the coverage to have more time to get down there or even punt out of bounds. Other than that I typically just watch film on myself to find anything I need to improve on.

Q: What separates you from the other players at your position?

One thing that separates me from other punters is my ability to hit a few different punts very well. Once it gets to the professional level, coaches and players in the league say for punters you need to have many different clubs in the bag. I am able to hit the normal spiraling punt that gets maximal distance and hang time but I am also able to hit my Australian punt (end over end) with hang times as good as my regular punts and I can hit those up to 45 yards if necessary. I have also been working on a knuckleball punt this past season in order to force returners to fumble the ball or just simply not want to touch it at all. I did this punt for the first time our last game this season and I was able to force a fumble inside the five yard line to set up a touchdown. By watching film on other NFL punters, I hope to learn other punts I can do in order to maximize net punting.

Q: How will you train and prepare this offseason for the draft or other pro opportunities?

I am still finishing my degree so I am currently training at UW-Platteville. I typically try to punt 3-4 days a week. Unfortunately we do not have access to an indoor facility so I often find myself kicking into a kicking net since it is very cold outside this time of year. For a while during this winter season I would go outside because I do not mind the cold but too many footballs popped in the cold weather and I did not want to keep buying more footballs. I also lift 4-5 days a week focusing on explosive movements and then after each workout I practice punt drops for roughly a half hour.

Q: What kind of strengths and abilities will you bring to a team that will stand out both on and off the field?

As I mentioned before I have the ability to hit different punts. I can hit punts that are 5 seconds of hang time and I can also pin opponents inside the 5. I have the ability to hit directional punts very well as I have done it my entire college career. Off the field I will be a role model to teammates and also the community. Even though I am a punter and away from most of the team during practice, I still take the time to get to know them better off the field. I would be a great piece to a team to build team camaraderie. You will also get a guy who will put in the extra work on the field because I believe that is what the best players do is put in the extra work.

Q: What is your final pitch or sell to NFL and other pro league scouts?

I started my dream of playing professional football as a senior in high school and because of that I believe that I am not only good enough right now to make it, I believe I will continue to get better. You will get a guy who is willing to do anything to win a football game despite being on the field a handful of times each game. You will get a guy who not only can hit 60 yard punts with 5 second hang times but also have the ability to hit shorter kicks that land inside the 5 and is very accurate on directional punting. Also, I am a guy you can trust in late game situations when you need a big punt. I will do anything for the team and I will continue to work hard outside of team activities to improve my game. Most importantly though, you will get a great player but an even better person.