Transformed Judge Culpepper ready for increased role at defensive tackle

When Judge Culpepper steps on the scale, the numbers flashing back at him haven't changed much since he arrived at Penn State.

He was around 285 pounds when he got to campus and he says he weighs about the same now, two years later.

But Culpepper's body is much different than it was as a freshman, and it's why the redshirt sophomore defensive tackle feels equipped to make an impact on the field for the Nittany Lions.

"I put on like 40 pounds before I got here," Culpepper said. "So I was like 285, 290, and it was terrible weight...Your body, it gets used to handling that much weight, but over the last two years I've really worked on it a lot. My body fat's way lower and my muscle mass is much higher, and I've kind of maintained that same 285 since I got here, but it's just much better weight and it feels much better on me."

Culpepper, who played mostly defensive end and tight end in high school, needed to add bulk in order to move to the interior of the defensive line, where Penn State recruited him to play.

The quick 40 pounds he put on just before arriving in State College wasn't the right solution for Culpepper, who credited Penn State's strength staff for helping him add weight the right way.

"It's a testament to coach [Dwight] Galt and his strength training program honestly," Culpepper said. "He really put it together and gets us going.

"The redshirts used to work out ever Friday morning, and I just really took those lifts seriously and shed a lot of my bad weight and put on good weight, and my testing numbers skyrocketed. Again, testament to coach Galt."

Moving out of his redshirt year, Culpepper said he tried to maintain what he called a "redshirt mentality" with all of his workouts, and is hoping to see that translate into an increased role on the field if and when Nittany Lions begin the season.

He appeared in 13 games for Penn State a season ago, mostly on special teams.

If Penn State's spring depth chart is any indication, though, Culpepper is in line for a relatively significant role on the defensive side of the ball in 2020, as he came in behind only PJ Mustipher at one of the defensive tackle spots.

"I think Judge Culpepper is a guy that is going to open some eyes for some people," Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. "Incredibly hard worker. He's kind of PJ's running mate. They work together, train together, do extra together. Son of a football guy. He's kind of got it all, and he's gotten bigger and stronger where he's ready to play."

Culpepper's father, Brad, was an All-American defensive tackle at Florida and played five years in the NFL. Before Judge made the move to the interior defensive line, he said his dad rarely approached him to offer guidance.

Now that Judge plays in his father's footsteps, his dad has become more active, coaching him up and offering tricks of the trade that Judge feels can help him as he looks toward a breakout season.

"I've worked really, really, really hard these last three months, and I think that I'm ready," he said.

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