James Stefanou is healthy and ready for fall camp

Last season, Colorado placekicker James Stefanou struggled with a multitude of injuries that despite his best efforts, significantly curbed his efforts in 2018.

Now, with a different approach to training and CU's fall camp on the horizon, Stefanou is feeling 100 percent and is ready to go. Needless to say, he's worlds away health-wise from where he was a calendar year ago.

“I had a lot of inflammation in my hip, where the joint and cartilage is," he said. "It was just from overtraining and overkicking — kicking too many balls. That led to groin issues and hamstring issues — I had to keep kicking for the team and the coaches so I pushed myself to keep kicking when I probably should have taken time off, even through fall camp to get myself right for the first game. But I didn’t, and then it just escalated. That’s gone, I’m feeling really good, and that’s why I scheduled a kind of different program, more of a kicker-friendly program in the gym this summer.”

With the injury, Stefanou still managed to go 5-of-8 in the field goal department. But rest assured, he is primed and ready for a successful junior campaign in 2019.

“I feel great. I’ve managed my load this summer staying careful, making sure it’s quality over quantity and getting everything down with the operation," he said. "I’m happy, confident, and I didn’t feel like this at all last camp just because the injury was on my mind and I knew it wasn’t a small thing. I feel ready to go, it’s a good feeling.”

Many know Stefanou's down-under roots — hailing from from Melbourne, Australia -- Stefanou trained at ProKick Australia, which is well-documented in helping to prepare kickers and athletes to transition into the NFL, before joining the Buffs in 2017.—--

Even so far away from home, he appears to be more than settled in.

“I was talking about it with my wife earlier," Stefanou said. " I went home [to Australia] in May and [upon returning] I was happy to be back. It’s a funny thing, I really love it here. It’s fantastic — a great spot. Colorado is an awesome state. We’ve got places we go to and friends, a pretty cool network here now. I wouldn’t have it any other way and always wonder what it would be like if I went to another school. But I’m really happy I picked this place. CU is fantastic.”

Stefanou, who considered Texas, Houston and Hawaii before choosing to come to Colorado, seems to have all pieces in place that'll lead to a successful 2019 campaign.

So what does a kicker do on a day-to-day basis during practice?

"Fall camp for specialists is more about getting the mind right and getting that adrenaline and rush [going] while getting into moments where you can replicate game-like situations," he said. "You might be doing step drills, you might be hitting the pads, you might be stretching or on the bike loosening up, you might be doing a specialist lift — there’s all these different things that you do."

Look for Stefanou to surpass his record of 53 yards for longest field goal this upcoming season.