The Arizona Wildcats have found some pretty good success on the recruiting trail this season. They currently have 20 members of the 2026 class and have a pretty good member of the 2028 class as well. On Wednesday night, they added their first 2027 member.
Jalani Culpepper, a 2027 athlete from Texas, announced his decision to commit to the Wildcats. He made his announcement on X.
Culpepper is a very nice first addition to next year’s class. He plays at East View High School in Georgetown, Tex. and is slotted to play safety for the Wildcats. He is quite good in that position. Culpepper plays with violence and an attitude that Danny Gonzales wants in his defense. He honestly plays like a linebacker, seeking contact and hitting with a heavy pop. The 5-foot-10, 190 pound Culpepper has good vision and a very quick and fluid lower body. He flips his hips quickly in order to stay with his man and is good at making plays on the ball.
On the recruiting front, Culpepper has 17 offers from schools such as Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Florida State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Mississippi State, SMU and Texas Tech. In late October, he whittled his list down to four schools: Arizona, SMU, South Florida and Houston.
As of yet, Culpepper isn’t currently ranked by 247Sports. That will most likely change in the very near future.
His junior campaign is moving along nicely. So far, Culpepper has notched 31 tackles, a pick, 2 PBUs and 2 forced fumbles this year. In his two-year varsity career, he has 62 tackles, 2 picks, 6 PBUs and 2 forced fumbles.
You can view some of his highlights below:
Three Game Highlights
