Steven Wirtel (born October 3, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...

who is currently a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

, and originally signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2020. He has also played for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

Personal life and high school

Steven Wirtel was born on October 3, 1997, in

Orland Park, Illinois Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, Orland Park had a population of 58,703. Located 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Chicago ...

to John and Coleen Wirtel. His brother, John Wirtel, played long snapper for

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. Wirtel attended Mount Carmel High School where he played football.

College career

Rated as a three-star recruit coming out of high school, Wirtel chose to attend

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

over

Illinois University The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

and the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. In his freshmen year, Wirtel played in all 12 games that season and was perfect on all of his snaps. He was named to the Big 12 Academic Rookie Team. In his second year, Wirtel once again played in all 13 games and was perfect again on all his snaps. He was named on the Third-Team All-Big 12 and the First-Team Academic All-Big 12 team. In his junior year, Wirtel once again played in all 13 games, and began to assume the role of long snapper for every aspect of special teams. He was named on the First-Team All-Big 12 and Second-Team Academic All-Big 12 teams. In his senior and final year, Wirtel once again played in all 13 games and therefore played in every game of his collegiate career. He was one of three finalists for the

Patrick Mannelly Award The Patrick Mannelly Award is an award given annually in the United States to the best college football long snapper. The award is named after Duke Blue Devils alum and former Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American footbal ...

, and was named on the First Team All-Big 12 and First Team Academic All-Big 12 teams.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

After going undrafted in the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

, Wirtel signed as an undrafted free agent for the

. Wirtel remained on the Lions' practice squad throughout the entirety of the

2020 NFL season The 2020 NFL season was the 101st season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season started with the NFL Kickoff Game on September 10, in which defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City defeated Houston. The playoffs were ...

and was waived in the subsequent offseason.

Los Angeles Rams

Wirtel was signed by the

at the beginning of the

2021 NFL season The 2021 NFL season was the 102nd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season was the first to feature a 17-game regular season schedule as the league expanded the season from 16 games. The regular season started on September 9, ...

. He was later released on August 26.

Green Bay Packers

On September 2, 2021, the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

signed Wirtel to their practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on November 5, 2021, replacing the recently released Hunter Bradley. He made his first appearance in an NFL game two days later, in a 13–7 loss to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. On August 10, 2022, the

released Wirtel.

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bioIowa State Cyclones bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirtel, Steven American football long snappers Green Bay Packers players Iowa State Cyclones football players People from Orland Park, Illinois 1997 births Living people