The pathway to the NFL has become more direct and well-trodden in recent years for international players dreaming of one day competing on the world’s biggest stage.
Since the NFL introduced a formal means to open doors for those who dream of one day suiting up on Sundays, the number of prospects knocking on the door have notably increased. Last season, 18 players who had enrolled in the International Player Pathway (IPP) appeared on NFL rosters. https://www.nfl.com/international/player-pathway
Many trailblazers came before them. German defensive end Constantin Ritzmann came to the attention of high schools and most notably the Tennessee Volunteers in the United States when starring at the NFL Global Junior Championships (GJC) for Team Europe. Likewise, future Super Bowl winner with the Patriots Sebastian Vollmer is a Team Europe alum, whose performances in that event earned him a look from the University of Houston. Compatriots Bjorn Werner and Kasim Edebali progressed through the NFL-sponsored International Student Program (ISP), which like the GJC was created and operated by Patrick Steenberge of Global Football. Others such as Australian lineman Adam Gotsis of the Jaguars found their own path forward.
The introduction of the IPP has reduced the prior scattergun approach, and while many of its enrollees are bidding to transition from other sports to the NFL, others are taking a next logical step having developed through the amateur game, specifically in Europe.
Tight end Florian Bierbaumer first emerged playing with his local club in Austria. Now, as the 2024 group of prospects head to Florida to attend workouts, he hopes to become Austria’s latest export. The former Vienna Vikings pair of Cardinals tight end Bernard Seikovits and Colts offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann are already living the NFL dream.
“I’m excited,” says Florian. “The NFL is the league we all want to play in. I have ten weeks coming up at the IPP camp but input-wise, it will be like ten years of football knowledge in Europe because we only meet for three or four hours per week. This is such a big dream. The league is the goal.”
Florian cast an imposing figure as an effective wide receiver with his hometown Graz Giants, won an IFAF U19 European Championships gold medal with the Austrian junior national team, and was invited to the 2023 NFL International Combine, where he clearly impressed.
“I started playing in Graz in Austria around 2012 because I had seen the film The Game Plan with The Rock, Dwayne Johnson,” explains Florian. “It looked fun, but you really had to find American football back then, it wasn’t coming to you. Me and my brother found our local team and started playing. I was there 10 years and then I joined the Vienna Vikings in 2022.
“I was always a tall guy and in youth American Football they put me outside to use my good hands. I played a lot of basketball growing up and had good hand-eye coordination. In Austria, if you’re tall and can catch, you become a receiver. If you’re tall and can’t catch, you become a defensive back.”
Florian holds an advantage over many of his peers in the IPP, not being a convert to the sport. Not that he considers those making the switch from sports such as rugby union, Gaelic football and Aussie rules as competitors as there are 32 international roster spots available. But he is one of the few of this latest class to have stepped on the gridiron previously.
“I’m one of the only ones with real football experience, so they’re going to expect a lot from me as a leader,” he explains. “I’ve been to national team camps for a week or two, I’ve been doing the hard-core football grind. I’ve been used to that and I can help the other guys. I’ve already spoken to a lot of the guys and they’re looking forward to learning from me, having me on the side and helping them out with new stuff they haven’t done before.”
Florian comes from an American football family. His father travels across Europe on his motorcycle to watch him play, while his mother attends home games in Vienna and volunteers as a down marker. His brother still plays in Graz and his two sisters are also NFL fans.
He has traded a full-time job in IT before to pursue this IPP opportunity and chase the dream of one day playing in the National Football League.
