Social media videos introduced Leo Blumentritt to American football while he was growing up in Germany.
Now, the 6-foot-6, 24-year-old junior is the punter for the University of Northern Colorado football team.
Blumentritt joined UNC earlier this year from junior college in California where he began his American football journey as a wide receiver. With more of a focus on kicking in the past year, the left-footed Blumentritt is the projected replacement for the heralded Hunter Green. Green transferred in December after three seasons.
Blumentritt learned about American football through YouTube. He was about 14 and looking for a new sport after his club baseball team folded.
American football has grown in popularity worldwide with the NFL scheduling games at international locations since 2007. This year, the NFL will play six games total in Ireland, England, Germany and Spain. The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Charges play Friday, Sept. 5 in Brazil.
“I was always watching videos on YouTube,” he said. “Clips of baseball stuff. Every now and then a clip of football would pop up, and it was kind of interesting. I tried out one time and fell in love with it.”
Blumentritt is from Weichs, Germany, which is in the district of Dachau in upper Bavaria and about 45 minutes from Munich. He played soccer until he was about 10. His experience with soccer helped his transition to football, especially on field goals and kickoffs. There is a similar swing of the leg on those motions to soccer. In punting, the leg is more straight and linear.
University of Northern Colorado punter Leo Blumentritt, right, hangs out with other special teams players while watching the end of a practice Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Greeley. Blumentritt is a 24-year-old junior transfer from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California. He is projected to take over punting for the Bears in 2025. (Anne Delaney/Staff Reporter)
Blumentritt might also handle kickoffs for the Bears. Jacob Willig, a Colorado State University Pueblo transfer from Fort Collins, is penciled in as the field goal kicker.
Blumentritt came to UNC from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California. He punted and was the kickoff specialist while also playing wide receiver in his first season. Punting became his main position last year. He’s one of three former College of the Sequoias players on the UNC roster this year, along with cornerback Derrick Jones (Houston, Texas) and defensive lineman Andres Rodriguez (Delano, California).
Blumentritt has always been able to kick a ball well, he said. He focused more on technique at the College of the Sequoias and upon arriving at UNC earlier this year. He said he never had the speed to be a receiver, and kicking has been a good fit for him.
“I’ve made a lot of progress,” he said. “I guess having a natural ability or talent for it helped a lot. I’m happy being a punter, for sure.”
Blumentritt has picked up an important component of punting, though he hasn’t been working on the specialty for long. He’s shown an ability to place the ball where needed on punts, which is a key skill for a punter.
If special teams can pin the opponent deep in their own end, it makes the job of the Bears defense easier with a change of possession.
Bears specialist coach James Pazak said Blumentritt’s height and his long legs are also part of what make him effective as a punter.
“The bigger the lever, the better the ball will fly,” Pazak said. “He’s a pretty darn good overall athlete. He explained to me, ‘Anything I really enjoy, I want to keep getting better.’ ”
There are styles of punting that might be referred to as American and Australian. Blumentritt and Pazak didn’t put much emphasis on the names. In the American version — if you want to call it that, Blumentritt said — the ball is held angular to the foot and comes off in a spiral.
In Australian style, the punter holds the ball nose up and nose down. This produces an end-over-end effect. Blumentritt said the Australian style has grown more popular in college football in recent years with the influence of Australian players in the game.
“I would say he’s traditional, and his ability to put it where we want helps a lot,” Pazak said.
At 6-6, Blumentritt could be the tallest punter in college football this season. Last year, Montana State senior Brendan Hall was listed at 6-9 and 235 pounds. Montana State is a Big Sky Conference opponent of UNC. Hall received an invitation to the Green Bay Packers’ rookie minicamp after the NFL Draft.
The Packers’ current punter is Daniel Whelan, who is 6-5 and 216 pounds. Whelan is in his third year from University of California, Davis, which is also a Big Sky school in football.
Aside from adapting to speaking more English, Blumentritt said his adjustment to life in the U.S. has been smooth. He went to College of Sequoias without visiting the school.
He checked out UNC and Greeley before joining the Bears. Blumentritt is working on a bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise science.
“It’s been great overall,” he said of coming to the U.S. “I love being here in Colorado. The winters are kind of rough, but it’s been awesome this summer. It’s not too different from Germany. We know a lot about the U.S. in Germany. I had kind of a decent idea on what to expect.”