| No. 45 –Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1997-03-12)March 12, 1997 (age 28) Miesbach,Bavaria, Germany |
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | FOS Altoetting |
| College: | |
| CFL draft: | 2024G: 2nd round, 13 (byCalgary Stampeders)th pick |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Julius Welschof (born March 12, 1997) is a German professionalAmerican footballlinebacker for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMichigan Wolverines andCharlotte 49ers.
Welschof was born on March 12, 1997, in Germany.[1] He grew up inMiesbach,Bavaria, where he won youth championships inskiing.[2][3] He attended thevocational high school (Fachoberschule,FOS) inAltötting and graduated from there.[4]
After his graduation from high school, Welschof visited the United States in 2013, staying with a friend of his grandfather inJacksonville, Florida.[3][5] He was told ofAmerican football and received a suggestion that he might be good at the sport, something Welschof initially did not believe, due to being 16 years old at the time and never having played the sport.[2][3] However, after watching aJacksonville Jaguars practice, he "was hooked" and, upon returning to Germany, found a local club team, theMunich Cowboys, to play with.[3][5]
Atight end, Welschof won Bavarian all-star honors in his first season.[3] He later playeddefensive end as well.[3] After four years at Munich, Welschof decided to try to get anathletic scholarship to playcollege football in the U.S.[6] He learned of a service run by formerCanadian Football League (CFL) playerBrandon Collier called Premier Players International, designed to get European players opportunities in college football.[7] Welschof contacted Collier and informed him of his measurements and ability to run a40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, then later proved his abilities to a doubtful Collier on a field covered in snow in below-freezing temperatures.[7]
In order to make enough money to attend camps in the U.S., Welschof worked as a manufacturer at aKrones factory and also took on another job renovating a house.[7][8] Afterwards, he began receiving significant attention and received offers from a number of different programs, being ranked as the 12th-best defensive end recruit and a four-star prospect by247Sports.[7][9] He initially committed to play for theGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but later flipped to theMichigan Wolverines.[10]
Welschofredshirted as a truefreshman at Michigan in 2018 and then appeared in one game during the 2019 season.[11] In 2020, he appeared in all six games and totaled sixtackles along with a half-sack.[12] Entering the 2021 season, he was named to Bruce Feldman ofThe Athletic's "freaks" list, highlighting the most athletic college football players.[12] In 2021, Welschof appeared in all 14 games, one as a starter, and tallied 13 tackles as well as onepass breakup.[1] The following year, he appeared in all 14 games, mainly onspecial teams, and recorded six tackles, including being named Michigan's special teams player of the week following the game against theRutgers Scarlet Knights.[1] He entered theNCAA transfer portal following the 2022 season, ending his five-year stint at Michigan having totaled 25 tackles in 35 games played.[13]
Hoping to see more playing time, Welschof transferred to theCharlotte 49ers for his final season of college football in 2023.[14] Joining coachesBiff Poggi andRyan Osborn, both of whom he worked with at Michigan, Welschof won a starting role with the 49ers.[5] However, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury four games into the year.[5] He had totaled four tackles in the four games, each of which he started, prior to the injury.[11] He ended his collegiate career with a total of 29 tackles.[15]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft6+5⁄8 in (2.00 m) | 257 lb (117 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 4.82 s | 1.64 s | 2.82 s | 4.40 s | 7.01 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | ||
| All values fromPro Day[16][17] | ||||||||||||
Welschof returned from his injury in time to participate at the Charlottepro day in front ofNational Football League (NFL) scouts, where he recorded a 10 feet 3 inches (3.12 m)broad jump.[17][5] After not being selected in the2024 NFL draft, he was signed by thePittsburgh Steelers as anundrafted free agent to playoutside linebacker, being given the Steelers' international roster spot afforded to all teams as part of theInternational Player Pathway Program (IPPP).[18] He was also chosen in the second round (13th overall) of the2024 CFL global draft by theCalgary Stampeders.[19] He was placed on injured reserve on August 27, 2024, following a knee injury during a game in 2024 NFL preseason, and waived two days later with an injury settlement.[20][21] He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 26.[22] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 14, 2025.[23]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)