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Get to Know Vikings DL Isaiahh Loudermilk

Throughout Vikings Training Camp, we'll be running a "Get to Know" series spotlighting first- and second-year players to share more of their stories and familiarize fans with Minnesota's roster.

EAGAN, Minn. — Isaiahh Loudermilk is new to the Vikings roster, but familiar faces — and an affinity for Northern culture and weather — have helped the defensive lineman feel at home in Minnesota.

Following a walk-through session at training camp, Loudermilk pulls off his helmet and shakes out his mane of curly locks, sharing an appreciation with this Vikings writer for the day's refreshing breeze. He quickly adds (and I heartily agree), "As long as it doesn't get any hotter."

"I like the cold," he laughs.

It's why Loudermilk enjoyed his first five NFL seasons in Pittsburgh, where outdoor football sometimes meant wind, rain, snow or a mix of the elements. He's looking forward, though, to the potential of playing indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"Anytime we've played here, it's been one of my favorite spots," he said. "The energy is incredible. Being on the opposite sideline of it can be a little bit [challenging], but anytime I was here, the SKOL Chants, the introductions, purple everywhere — I mean, it's always been exciting to me."

It also feels a little full circle, per se, as Loudermilk is donning the same colors as his favorite NFL Legend, Daunte Culpepper.

Interesting, right? How did a Kansas native come to so closely follow a Vikings QB?

Loudermilk noted he was "always a bigger kid" growing up, and he found inspiration from a larger-framed athlete like Culpepper find such success at the pro level.

"Watching Daunte Culpepper, I'm like, 'This is a bigger body who plays quarterback.' And of course, when you're a kid, you want to play quarterback," Loudermilk explained. "I thought, 'Maybe that could be me.' He was a big quarterback; I was big. So as soon as I saw him play it was, 'OK, that's my favorite guy right there, because I'm trying to be like him.'

"Turns out," Loudermilk added with a chuckle, "Big bodies can also be linemen."

One aspect of his goals may not have come to fruition, but Loudermilk continues to realize his childhood dream of playing in the NFL. And when it came time to change teams for the first time in his pro career, he was drawn to reuniting with Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, whom he played for in Pittsburgh in 2022, and former college teammate Andrew Van Ginkel.

Loudermilk and Gink' overlapped at Wisconsin for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, each making a significant impact on the Badgers defense. The two kept in touch, and Loudermilk is grateful to once again share a locker room with "such a good dude" and someone he knows well.

Though he coached Loudermilk just one season in Pittsburgh, Flores left a purely positive impression on the defender.

"Before Coach Flo' got to the Steelers, I knew of him. He's a football genius," Loudermilk said. "Being around him, seeing how he coached, the methods he used — knowing how he operated, when I had the opportunity to come here, I was like, 'Yeah, I would like to be around that again.'

"It's good being around someone who knows so much about football and a defensive coordinator who's … he's an intense coach, and he wants the best from everyone and has the ability to get the best out of everyone," Loudermilk continued. "So I was pumped to come play for him."

The 28-year-old noted there are some similarities between Flores' system in Minnesota and what he did with the Steelers defense, but he's been intent on studying the playbook and its intricacies since arriving.

"The defense is amazing. The scheme is amazing," he said. "There's always going to be some similarities, but at the same time, Coach Flo' is just such a great coordinator. He has so many nuanced things that when I got here, I had to learn quickly. It's been great so far."

Loudermilk is thankful for his five seasons in Pittsburgh, where he resonated with the industrious, blue-collar mentality of the city and fanbase, and he's looking forward to carrying that over to the Vikings — in whom he sees a similar philosophy.

"I want to be that gritty person, that hardworking person," he said. "I want to be someone who can come out and be physical and bring the energy. … I like to take on doubles, eat up space inside — that's kind of how my game has been since I started playing football. So coming into a division that's going to be gritty, going to be fun, it's helped a lot coming from a place that taught those values."

The job of a defensive lineman can sometimes be a bit thankless, but that's how Loudermilk prefers it.

"That's how I've always been. I don't need to be in the light," he said. "If I'm taking on blocks so someone else can shine, that's kind of the role of a D-lineman. And as an interior guy, you get used to it.

"It's my job," Loudermilk added with a grin. "It's what I do."

Fun fact that people might not know:

"I love the outdoors. I love fishing, or my wife and I are camping all the time, doing hikes, just finding new things. So pretty much anytime I'm not doing football, I'm either at home watching movies or we're out camping somewhere if we have enough time."

5 Faves

TV show to binge: The Office

Exercise/workout/lift: Bench press

Salty snack: Cheeze-Its

Board game or card game: Monopoly

Childhood movie: Lilo & Stitch