The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516256
PLAYER BIOS ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ MARCH 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 BY EJ HOLLAND Michigan defensive line signee Man- uel Beigel grew up in Germany, which is known for its tradition of producing some of the world's greatest soccer players. Yes, like most German kids, Beigel hit the pitch early and had dreams of being a top goal-scorer. However, Beigel even- tually outgrew soccer. With his massive frame and elite athleticism, he decided to give American football a try as he pro- gressed into high school. "I played soccer for over 10 years and did some track when I was very young," Beigel said. "I saw a lot of movies that had football in them or compilation videos on YouTube, like biggest hits. I thought it was really interesting. I went to a football practice and decided to stay there. That's how I found football." It was evident that Beigel was a spe- cial player. After starring for a local club team, he linked up with Brandon Collier, founder of PPI Recruits, an organiza- tion that helps European prospects find American high schools and see colleges across the country. Beigel eventually landed at New Eng- land prep school Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall, where he started as an offensive lineman as a junior before moving over to the defensive side of the ball as a senior. "With schematics and how the game is played, I feel like I've taken a huge step there," Beigel said. "I played offensive line my first year, so I feel like I under- stand what's going on at the line. I used my knowledge from that when I played defensive line this year. I've gotten used to playing better competition and compet- ing every day." Just before arriving at Choate, Beigel camped with Michigan through PPI and earned an offer on the spot. It didn't take him long to give the Wolverines a verbal pledge soon after. "Michigan is so consistent and so good at developing players, especially defensive tackles" Beigel said. "I just feel like it's the perfect fit for me. I just felt like it was the right choice. The culture that I experi- enced was something that I really liked. That was why I committed to Michigan." Beigel is still a work in progress, but Collier believes he has the potential to be a monster for Michigan down the line. "His physical attributes are second to none," Collier said. "At that size with low body fat, he could be at 315 soon. He has the athletic ability and speed. "I'm shooting for the moon with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a first- round draft pick in a few years. It's very difficult to find a guy his size that can bend and move the way he does. Two or three years from now, I'm looking for him to be a star at Michigan." ❑ 2024 Projection Beigel is s ll very new to the game of football and only has one year of experience playing defensive line. He was limited to just a few games as a senior and will need mul ple years to develop. Beigel is already an impressive athle c specimen, but he needs a lot of refinement from a technical standpoint. STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks 2023 10 5 4 HONORS • PrepStar All-Eastern Region (2023). • Helped Choate to Founders League tles with records of 8-1 (2022) and 9-0 (2023). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan July 16, 2022, a er receiving offer in June 2022. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Georgia, Penn State and Texas A&M. • Recruited by former U-M defensive line coach Mike Elston. DID YOU KNOW? • Originally from Frankfurt, Germany. • Primarily played soccer before picking up football in 2020. • Played offensive line in his first year at Choate (2022) before moving to defensive line as a senior (2023). • A ended same prep school as Michigan OL Tristan Bounds. • Son of Frank and Regina Beigel. • Born Sept. 8, 2003. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scou ng and rankings Charles Power: "Beigel is an older prospect. He came over from Europe and has two-way ver- sa lity. He's being viewed at different posi ons at least from a rankings perspec ve. He can play on both sides of the line. He's very strong. The biggest thing is going to be con nuing to develop from a technical standpoint. But he is extremely physically developed. The physical development is ahead of the technical ability. He has a lot of brute strength. He's an athlete. I believe Michigan is taking him as a defensive lineman. He's a guy that just provides a physi- cal presence on the interior." MANUEL BEIGEL DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 • 280 CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL (CONN.) FRANKFURT, GERMANY RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ 885 83 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 81 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 79 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 77 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 42 6 INDUSTRY German Import Manuel Beigel Is Eager To Continue His Development At Michigan While still raw technically, Beigel is an extremely athletic and promising big man from Germany with a high ceiling. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND