Talent, Work Ethic Lead Windmuller to Tech Football

As Hunter Windmuller sets to punt the football down the field, chaos unfolds in front of him. Linemen battle to make their way toward him, hoping to rattle his nerves and foil his efforts to get the ball as far down the field as he can.

But Windmuller tunes all of it out, focuses on the ball and watches it fly through the air.

"My favorite thing is watching the ball go. I just love watching the ball fly and spin," said Windmuller, who has committed to play for Virginia Tech next fall.

Windmuller has plenty of people, including NFL punter Ken Parrish, giving him advice on technique and strategy, so Flint Hill School's head coach Michael Wright decided his best advice to the 6'4", 180-pound punter would be simple.

"My advice to him is always, 'See the ball, kick the ball.' Simple as that," Wright said with a laugh.

Erich Windmuller, Hunter's father, said he thinks the straightforward advice served his son well throughout his three years playing football for the Huskies. 

"I think that did a lot to help Hunter to get out of his head when he's kicking. You only have a fraction of a second before the ball is spiked to you," he said. "I think Coach made him feel comfortable just to get out there and do what he does."

With an average 47 yards per punt and his first team selections for both and , Windmuller has taken the advice with stellar results — but only because he has put in the necessary work at practice and in the weight room, Wright said, allowing him to trust his abilities in a game situation.

Windmuller credited the Flint Hill program for giving him all the tools he'll need to succeed in the Tech football program, which he anticipates will be like having a full-time job on top of his academics.

"Their weight room, their ethics, practices — they're not easy," Windmuller, an Eagle Scout from Oakton, said of Flint Hill. "They set the bar high, so I think I have a good foundation for Virginia Tech."

Though Windmuller has thrown himself into the sport since his sophomore year, he had never considered it a path to college growing up. In fact, he didn't even play. 

Windmuller grew up in Austria, where athletes focused on soccer, so he did, too. But when he transferred to Flint Hill in 10th grade, he found football to be the sport of choice.

"The school didn't have a kicker or punter and they asked, 'Can anybody kick the ball?' and I said, 'Yeah I think I can.' That's pretty much how it started," Windmuller said.

Wright found Windmuller to be more than just a kicker — he was an all-around athlete. In the beginning, Wright had him play receiver and defensive back, as well.

"Hunter is a terrific athlete," Wright said. "Along the way, we kept seeing his kick get better and better and he became more and more precious to the point where we didn't want anyone touching him."

Hunter received interest from elite colleges such as University of Pennsylvania, College of William & Mary and University of Virginia. But when Virginia Tech showed interest, he knew what he wanted. Tech is in his blood: His father, who served in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and uncle, who played defensive back for the Hokies, both graduated from the Blacksburg school.

As much as Hunter is anxious for the next four years of his academic and football career, he is grateful for the three he has had with the Huskies.

"It's been an awesome experience here at Flint Hill. Coach Wright, all the other coaches have been so helpful the whole way. I just feel like we're one big family," Windmuller said. "I feel like I'm still going to talk to all my friends from the team throughout my college career."