Bayern (Null, Germany) Balwyn High three-star defensive end Julius Welschof committed to Michigan on Dec. 20, 2017 and signed the same day.
Measurables
• Self-reported 4.55 40-yard dash but clocked a 4.73 40 at Ohio State's camp.
• Broad jumped 10 feet, two inches at the Michigan camp this summer.
• Won the fastest man competition at the camp among the big men.
All-Star Games And Camps
• Camped at Ohio State, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Wayne State, Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Towson this summer before going to Michigan's. Also camped at Temple, Rutgers, UMass and Maryland in search of offers.
Recruitment
• Committed to Georgia Tech Oct. 25. De-committed Dec. 16 and pledged to the Wolverines over Iowa State, Syracuse, Temple and others Dec. 20, signing the same day.
• Defensive coordinator Don Brown, who worked with him at the camp, and defensive line coach Greg Mattison (who also taught him) spearheaded his recruitment.
Notable
• Practiced with the Munich Cowboys of the German Football League last year.
• Discovered by former UMass player Brandon Collier, who played for Brown in college.
• Graduated from FOS Altoetting in Germany
• Born on March 12, 1997
• Rivals.com three-star prospect nationally.
2018 Projection
Welschof is a project, but he's got great potential as a big man who can really move. He's strong enough to battle tight ends and has the frame to add some more good weight, if necessary.
With a year or two of teaching from Brown and Mattison, he should be a contributor.
They Said It
Premier Players International Founder Brandon Collier: “The reason that I started it is, I see a lot of talent in Europe. I knew with my network and connections, I could be a person that helped the sport out here. I didn’t expect to find somebody like this kid.
“Julius came to my home and stayed with me for two days and he was a great kid. I took him to a field and he performed in the snow. He was 6’6, 250lbs and ran a 4.6 40 with a 10-3 Broad Jump IN THE SNOW. After this day I knew we discovered something special."
From the Washington Post: "Welschof was introduced to football in the front yard of a family friend during a visit to Florida four years ago. He started playing with an obscure club team in Germany the following year and took a second job to pay his way to attend several college camps last summer in the United States just to get scouted.
"He not only didn’t play football at high school in the southeastern German state of Bavaria, but only began to learn the sport by watching YouTube videos by the time he joined a club team at age 17."
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