Germany’s Julius Welschof hadn’t heard of football till age 16, but he’s intent on sticking with Steelers

When he was 16 more than a decade ago, Julius Welschof headed for a visit to the United States for the purpose of learning the American culture, American education, maybe even about American business.

The Germany native couldn’t have imagined that what he took from that trip that would change his life most was via American … football.

“I never honestly even … had heard of it before I went (on the trip) to Jacksonville,” said Welschof, who’s now 27 and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in April. “Back then, it was hard to get a game on TV in Germany. I had heard of baseball and basketball obviously. But football I wasn’t really familiar, and I definitely never knew any rules of it.”

But Welschof at that point was well on his way to being the 6-foot-6 he stands today. He had the frame that could ultimately carry 265 pounds. He had footspeed that would translate to any sport. And he had an athletic background growing up.

So during the visit, host and family friend James Catenis took the teenaged Welschof into the backyard for a workout and came away struck by something.

“He said, ‘You should definitely start playing football. You can play college football. I know you can,’” Welschof said recently at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “But I was 16 by that time. I was like, ‘I don’t think so. I am pretty late to the game, I don’t know if that’s possible. I don’t even know anything about it.’”

Welschof learned. And with his athletic profile, it was no surprise that as much as Welschof discovered American football, American football discovered him.

And after a six-year college career as an edge defender that included a spot on a Michigan team that advanced to the College Football Playoff, Welschof is now pursuing a dream of playing in the NFL.

It would be inaccurate to call it a childhood dream, of course. As a child, well, Welschof didn’t know what football — American football — was.

“It’s growing in Germany,” Welschof said, noting that tickets for this November’s New York Giants-Carolina Panthers game in Munich sold out in 10 minutes. “But (when Welschof was growing up) it wasn’t. I didn’t know any of the rules. It seems complicated — until you play it.”

So, armed with the confidence the family friend gave him and determined to pursue the idea of a free college tuition in the U.S., Welschof joined a club team back home (the Munich Cowboys) and built up his own highlight tape.

With his athleticism and size, it proved easy for Welschof to dominate.

“I was still pretty skinny. My technique, looking back, was really bad,” Welschof said. “It was more just speed. We would have have two practices a week. And we had no playbook.”

But a former college and pro player, Brandon Collier, was in the process of starting a business of finding athletes in Europe who could make it at the major U.S. college level. When Welschof was still a teenager, Collier was just beginning. But he rounded up Welschof among 15 would-be prospects for a barnstorming-like tour of Division I football camps.

“We just were driving around America in a minivan,” Welschof said.

It paid off when Welschof signed on for a full scholarship at Michigan.

After appearing in 35 games as a defensive end over four playing seasons for the Wolverines — during which he made All-Academic Big Ten twice — Welschof completed his college eligibility at Charlotte in 2023.

Eligible for a roster exemption via the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program, Welschof signed with the Steelers as an outside linebacker soon after this past draft.

“I was excited when we signed him,” said Steelers starting outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, a Charlotte alum. “It’s awesome to watch a guy from your alma mater grow and get better every single day. He’s eager to learn.”

While Welschof got to learn from current Pro Bowl edge defender Aiden Hutchinson at Michigan, he’d been struck by the abilities and know-how of the Steelers veterans during his first few weeks in the NFL at organized team activities and minicamp.

“He’s up in my office early mornings trying to get everything he can out of this experience,” Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin said. “He takes it so serious, and it’s so fun to coach a guy like that.

“He’s getting better. He’s putting the things we’re asking him to do in individuals, he’s putting it on tape every day.”

It hasn’t been without hiccups, of course. Though it’s not obvious when speaking with Welschof, English is still his second language.

“I said (the word) ‘expand’ to him the first day,” Martin said, “and he was like, ‘What does that mean?’ And I was like, ‘OK, all right, I’m good.’

“But he’s a great dude. He plays hard, he works hard and he wants to get better.”

One aspect of the NFL’s IPP program gives Welschof a significant advantage in his quest to hang around through the season. Eligible international players can fill an extra (17th) practice-squad spot during the regular season.

Welschof knows he has a long way to go to make it in pro football. But he’s taken the correct approach to pursuing his own American dream he never knew he even had until he found this sport he grew to love.

“I know there are so many great players here who know so much, so many people I know I want to follow and learn something from,” Welschof said.

“I’m just going at it day by day. See what happens.”