BOULDER — Most freshman football players need to learn on the fly, but Josh Watts’ introduction to the sport was particularly rushed.
“It was sort of a baptism of fire,” Watts told reporters Monday. “Especially in the Stanford game, I had a couple punts late where they had 10 rushers, they didn’t even have a returner and I just had to catch it and kick it.”
Before moving to Boulder to attend CU, Watts had never played in a football game. He’d trained at a kicking academy in Australia, but he’d never played with offensive or defensive players. He’d seen the game on TV. In particular, he’d turned on a couple of Colorado games to watch his future team in action.
Former CU kicker James Stefanou, like most Australian specialists, came from a similar background. He retired midway through the 2020 season.
“(Having Stefanou around) was huge for me, obviously,” Watts said. “Just someone that I’ve always leaned on I guess, going through the exact same thing: traveling halfway across the world to come play football.”
According to Watts, the Australian punters and kickers who venture to the United States are tight knit. He says there are 50 to 70 of them, plus five or six more in the NFL.
“We all keep in touch and we all weigh in on each other and just talk about how to go about things and that’s definitely a good support network,” Watts said.
Watts hasn’t been home since arriving in Boulder in December 2019, but his girlfriend visited a few times. Since the season ended, she’s received a work visa and now lives in Colorado. Watts says that helps.
He’s more comfortable on the football field, too.
“Especially punting with a rush and off a snap and things that I just didn’t get used to in Australia,” Watts said.
Watts has been working with former CU and longtime NFL punter Tom Rouen during the offseason. Watts met Rouen through Stefanou and former CU punter Alex Kinney, who worked with Rouen in the past. Watts is trying to make his motion more compact and to straighten the swing of his leg.
“The difference between a good ball and a bad ball is so minor,” Watts said. “Getting the little things right, getting used to punting in different types of winds. He played 15 years in the NFL so it’s awesome I get the opportunity to work with him.”
