Lancaster (PA) Manheim Township defensive tackle Deyvid Palepale flipped from USC to Washington. Aside from the Trojans, Palepale also has offers from Auburn, Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others.
Palepale is listed at 6’3″ and 305 pounds.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 79 grade, #27 DT
On3: 3-star, 87 grade, #79 DL
Rivals: 3-star, 5.6 grade, #35 DT
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #75 DL
Hit the jump for more.
Palepale was at one time considered to be a lean toward Michigan, but then he somewhat surprisingly committed to USC at the beginning of July. Palepale was born in Alaska and moved to Pennsylvania as a teenager, so that might explain his commitment to a Pac 12 Big Ten West program. He had an odd fall season, at one point being dismissed from his football program because of a social media post where he questioned his coaching staff. It’s pretty darn rare for an FBS-level star player to be dismissed from a football program, especially because he comes from the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania, which is known more for its Amish population than its football excellence.
Palepale has a thick lower body that lets him anchor well against blockers. He also uses his hands impressively, shedding blockers and fending off chop blocks with efficiency. Intermittently, he shows quickness off the ball and has surprising agility and quickness to slant across an offensive lineman’s face. He’s quick enough to play some standup defensive end and chase down high school players from behind. He can get low to sell out for tackles, diving at the legs of runners who are pulling away from him.
As with many high schoolers built to play defensive tackle in college, conditioning is going to be an issue early on in his career. There are times even in his highlights where he looks winded, slow off the ball, and slow to get in his stance.
Overall, Palepale is a good nose tackle prospect. He reminds me of former Michigan nose tackle William Carr with his style of play, though Carr was shorter and lighter. Carr ended up being an All-American and getting drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. I think Palepale might need a year or two to get his conditioning in order – especially after missing most of his senior year of football – but he should be a good run-stopper in a couple years with some pass rushing upside. He doesn’t have the size or quickness to be a dominant player, in my opinion, but he can be a solid starter or rotation player.
Michigan now has 26 commits in the class of 2024. Palepale is the only true defensive tackle in the class, though guys like Ted Hammond, Owen Wafle, and Manuel Beigel could end up there.
TTB Rating: 75
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