Syracuse Football: Backup QB Rex Culpepper Has a Great Story
Rex Culpepper, a backup quarterback in the Syracuse football program, has a very interesting and uplifting story.
Although senior Eric Dungey is the starting quarterback for Syracuse, one of his backups, Rex Culpepper, deserves some ink. No, it’s not because Culpepper is one of Syracuse’s starting holders, instead, it’s because of where he came from and what he’s overcome.
Per Syracuse’s official website, Culpepper was diagnosed with testicular cancer this offseason before going through four rounds of chemotherapy. Luckily, he was declared cancer-free just weeks after his diagnosis. He’ll now head into his sophomore year in Upstate NY after redshirting one year and playing in all 12 games during the Orange’s 2017 season.
Rex wrote a feature about his experience for The Player’s Tribune that was released on August 28th, 2018.
Culpepper, besides being a key part of a big-time Division-1 program, has an impressive family tree. His father, Brad Culpepper, played nine seasons in the NFL after starring for the Florida Gators. As a pro, the elder Culpepper recorded 34 sacks with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears. He also played Not to be outdone, Rex’s mother, Monica, was a star on the popular CBS reality show Survivor for 22 episodes between 2012-2017.
Monica’s appearance on Survivor also opened the door for Brad. He joined the program after Monica but has 21 episodes of Survivor under his belt at this point.
As of today, four-star recruit Tommy DeVito — not Joe Pesci’s character from Goodfellas — is Eric Dungey‘s primary backup. From there, it’s a toss-up between Rex and Chance Amie for the No. 3 spot. DeVito is a redshirt freshman while Amie is a true freshman.
Dungey, speaking to Syracuse.com, praised Rex (his roommate) and thinks he can get the job done if needed.
“Rex has shown what he can do,” Dungey said of his roommate. “He played in Louisville, which was the worst weather you can imagine against a really good defense, but I’ve just seen what Rex can do, and I know Rex’s mindset.
“Rex is like me. He’s probably more wild just in the sense of him fishing, hunting, doing all this stuff, cliff-jumping. He’s got that mentality, and he’s not scared of anything. He’s a beast.”
While it may be more difficult for him to see time at QB this year, Culpepper did see time under center last year for the Orange. Wearing No. 15, Culpepper was 45-for-75 through the air, totaling 518 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. On the ground, he carried the ball 21 times for 54 yards.
Even if he doesn’t get to throw the ball this year, Rex Culpepper is a great story. And while his parents were on the show, Rex is also a bonafide survivor.