2024 Season Countdown: #62 Deyvid Palepale
Name: Deyvid Palepale
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 335 lbs.
High school: Manheim Township (PA) Hempfield
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #54
Last year: Palepale was a senior in high school (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 75
Palepale had an adventurous high school career and recruitment. A one-time commitment to USC, the Alaska native was dismissed from his high school football team for being critical of the coaching staff on social media. He only played in two games as a senior. He finished the cycle ranked as a 247 Composite 3-star, the #89 defensive lineman, and #771 overall. That’s a pretty low ranking for someone who reported other offers from Florida, Miami, and Ohio State, among others, but recruiting rankings don’t matter at this point.
My biggest questions about Palepale are about his conditioning. After being listed at 300 pounds as a recruit, he’s now weighing in at 335 pounds on the fall roster. Could that previous weight have been outdated? Did he put on good weight, or is he going to have to trim down and then rebuild his body? It’s always tough to play on the lines as a freshman, but it’s especially tough if you’re not in shape. I think Michigan probably needs to get a few snaps a game from Palepale, but perhaps they can squeak by with Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Roderick Pierce, and maybe Ike Iwunnah playing some nose tackle.
Prediction: Backup nose tackle
