The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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152 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW FOOTBALL RECRUITING Michigan appears to be on the verge of solving that problem, as the Wolverines have the lead for three-star Landisville (Pa.) Hempfield prospect Deyvid Palepale. At 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, Palepale is on the shorter side, but he's extremely powerful and moves so well for a guy his size. He might not have the height or length of Ken- neth Grant (he has more of a Mason Gra- ham build), but he shares a similar playing style. Penn State hosted Palepale for an offi- cial visit in early June and is doing its best to keep him close to home, while USC is still hanging around. However, Michigan knocked it out of the park on his official visit in mid-June. It wouldn't be surprising to see him jump in the class this summer. Keep in mind that the Wolverines have backed off fellow nose targets Micah Boireau and Nnamdi Og- boko. Michigan is content landing Palepale and shooting for the stars with five-star Chi- cago St. Ignatius defensive lineman Justin Scott, who also made his official visit to U-M in mid-June. Scott is a mammoth at 6-foot-5, 310 pounds and is a truly special nose prospect. The On 3 Industry Ranking lists him as the second-best defensive lineman and No. 8 overall prospect in the country. The Wolverines appeared to be on the outside looking in, but they really helped themselves during his visit. This is still going to be a tough battle with Georgia and NIL-friendly Miami still involved. However, if it comes down to schools closer to home, Michigan will have a fighting chance against rivals Notre Dame and Ohio State. Five is the most likely number at this po- sition, but Michigan would obviously make room for Scott no matter what. Edge Need: 4 Commits: 1 The Skinny: Michigan didn't have any true edge rushers committed through mid- June, but that was expected to change in a hurry with four top targets trending heavily toward the Wolverines. It did. The first to commit was four-star Bran- dywine (Md.) Gwynn Park prospect Devon Baxter, who made his official visit June 16 and announced his pledge to U-M three days later. Baxter, the No. 27 edge nation- ally, has some of the biggest upside on the board and the potential to be a David Ojabo-type in Ann Arbor. He picked Mich- igan over Rutgers and Virginia Tech. The Wolverines are also in the pole po- sition for fellow Maryland native Domi- nic Nichols, the No. 28 edge nationally. A four-star prospect out of Ijamsville (Md.) Oakdale, Nichols said the Wolverines were still at the top of his board follow- ing a strong weekend official visit. Nich- ols previously made a trip to Wisconsin and was set to see Kentucky in mid -June. However, Michigan is holding firm with its lead and should win out. The Wolverines opened up June by host- ing four-star Cheshire (Conn.) Academy prospect Jacob Smith, who was scheduled to return for an unofficial visit on June 23. Smith, the No. 29 edge nationally, is the brother of defensive line commit Jerod Smith, and it's tough to see him passing on an opportunity to team up with his twin sibling. Jacob is still considering Kentucky and Nebraska, with a decision looming this summer. But again, Michigan is the favorite here. Michigan is also in the pole position for three-star Deerfield (Fla.) Beach pros- pect Elias Rudolph, the No. 50 edge na- tionally. The Wolverines are expected to close in the summer despite a pending official visit to Miami. If everything works out as planned, Michigan will land all four of those pass rushers and go all in with Olney (Md.) Good Counsel prospect Darien Mayo, the No. 8 edge and No. 89 overall recruit na- tionally. Michigan is in a heated battle with Clemson and Ohio State, but the Wolverines are very capable of pulling this one off and were slated to get his last official visit on June 23. Much like Justin Scott, Michigan will make room for Mayo no matter what. The only other name still on the edge board is Austintown (Ohio) Fitch pros- pect Brian Robinson, the No. 14 edge and No. 174 overall recruit nationally. If Michigan misses on Nichols, Smith or Rudolph, the Wolverines could turn up the heat for Robinson, who made his of- ficial visit on June 2. Kentucky and Penn State are the other schools involved in this recruitment. Linebacker Need: 3 Commits: 1 The Skinny: Michigan has one true linebacker commit this cycle in three-star prospect Zachary Ludwig. Ranked as the No. 104 linebacker nationally, Ludwig doubles as a long snapper, and his future could very well be on special teams. And that means it's imperative for the Wolver- ines to land a couple top targets. U-M had long made Olney (Md.) Good Counsel prospect Aaron Chiles its top overall priority on the linebacker board. The Wolverines made his top-three list along with Florida and Maryland, but he committed to the Gators June 17, one week prior to his June 23 scheduled official visit to Michigan. Chiles, the No. 18 linebacker and No. 215 recruit in the land, is in the same mold as Junior Colson. It remains to be seen if he is a candidate to be flipped back to U-M. The other top linebacker prospect on the board is Belleville (Mich.) High's Jeremiah Beasley. The in-state product seemed like a Michigan State lean early in the process. After all, his half-brother, Maliq Carr, plays for the Spartans. However, Michigan had taken complete command of his recruitment going into his official visit the weekend of June 16. Beasley, the No. 20 linebacker and No. 264 overall recruit nationally, was set to make his decision at the end of June. Belleville (Mich.) High's Jeremiah Beasley, the No. 20 linebacker and No. 264 overall recruit na- tionally, took his official visit to Michigan in mid- June and was set to make his decision by July. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND 2024 On3 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings Rk. School Commits 1. Georgia 19 2. Florida 16 3. Ohio State 14 4. Alabama 8 5. Michigan 22 6. Clemson 11 7. Notre Dame 19 8. South Carolina 11 9. USC 11 10. Oregon 16 As of June 20