A Key Player From Michigan Sudenly Desired To…

ichigan has signed, sealed and delivered another deep and talented recruiting class during the Early Signing Period in December, which featured many highly-touted players this cycle. The Wolverines inked 18 four-star prospects and 9 three-stars in the 2024 class. They also landed players from 16 different states with the most coming from Ohio (4), Michigan (3), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (3) and Maryland (3).  While the Maize and Blue will still look to add more in the second signing period in February, they’re welcoming the majority of the recruiting class officially as Wolverines. 

Under head coach Jim Harbaugh, several first-year players have gone on to make their presence felt right away like freshman wide receiver Semaj Morgan this season, who has made a splash on offense and special teams. While the Wolverines had several signees come in early and get a head start on their career, they have many who could still be major contributors when their time in Ann Arbor is all said and done.  The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich takes a look at five signees who he feels could potentially outplay their rankings.

One of the earliest commits in the 2024 class was the big man in Manuel Beigel. A true diamond in the rough type of prospect as the 6-foot-5, 285-pounder moved to the states from Germany and recently picked up on the game of football. He’s a former soccer player, so he’s very light on his feet and has extremely impressive athleticism for someone his size, which is very hard to find at the high school level. Michigan has landed a true physical specimen in Beigel. At 6-foot-5, 285-pounds, he has great size and frame to bulk up and be a fierce force on the interior of the Wolverines’ defensive line, but also has the unique speed and footwork to take his game to another level. Other programs have even viewed him as a talented offensive lineman, which he could do in Ann Arbor, but for now, he’s projected to play for defensive line coach Mike Elston on the defensive side. With Beigel still relatively new to the game, he’s made major strides and continues to grow as a player, but there’s serious optimism he could blossom into potentially a star and has the chance to be of the top steals of this class. 

There aren’t many defensive tackles with Palepale’s size at 6-foot-3, 305-pounds and athleticism every cycle, so identifying him, maintaining that bond and ultimately flipping him away from USC was a big recruiting win by Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston. It’s no secret one of the main reasons for the defensive success the last few years has been the play of the defensive tackles, who are tasked to do a lot in this system. Palepale has the size, ability and athleticism to be another talented prospect up front for the Wolverines and a key contributor when his career in Ann Arbor is all said and done. He also has multi-sport background having played basketball and track with by throwing the discus and shotput for Hempfield. He recently has been practicing and competing in Honolulu, Hawaii this week for the Polynesian Bowl and earned All-Lobby Team as someone who physically looks the part and was described by one of 247Sports analysts as ‘an absolute tank’. Michigan simply needed a player that could demand double-teams and be a space-eater in the middle of their defense and Palepale perfectly fits the bill.

After three straight seasons of excellent offensive line play, Michigan knows how to evaluate and find talented offensive linemen. Ben Roebuck is the definition of what Sherrone Moore likes to do in smash mouth football. He’s big, strong and powerful and can simply over power his opponents at his size, but also has shown the ability to pass protect and improve his ability to handle speedy edge rushers as well. With the depth the Wolverines’ have built and developed along the offensive line, Roebuck isn’t needed to have to come in and contribute right away, but he can take his time to develop, learn the offense and ultimately be an anchor for the offensive line in a couple of years. The 6-foot-7, 320-pounder was recognized as a MaxPreps First Team All-American two years in a row after anchoring an offensive line at St. Eds that was viewed as one of the most impressive units in country and helped lead them to a third straight D1 state title. In addition, he also was named first-team DI All-Ohio and dominated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as well. 

Michigan is getting another solid quality addition up front on the defensive line in 6-foot-2, 290-pound Owen Wafle, who comes from one of the top high school programs on the East Coast and has strong football genes with his dad having played defensive line at Duke in the 1990s. Not the biggest player along the defensive front, but he plays bigger than his size and simply he’s a technician at the point of attack. Excels at shedding blocks and wreaking havoc in the backfield with his quick get off and burst off the snap of the ball. He was named 2023 Mid-Atlantic Prep League Defensive Player of the Year and New Jersey All-Prep Defensive Player of the Year as well. While some may look at his measurebles, they should turn to the tape to see he’s much more meets the eye and could develop into a stalwart for the Wolverines. 

Michigan hit the jackpot last cycle with wide receiver Semaj Morgan, who has shown his big play ability in multiple areas of the game. Stewart can bring that same explosiveness, elusiveness and agility to score anytime he touches the ball. He’s a fast, twitchy athlete that has a lot of versatility with his skill-set and game, which brings tons of value on offense and in the return game. Stewart has a chance to make an impact his freshman year and bring another element to this offense along with on special teams in the return game. Competed in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in December and finished with five catches with two going for touchdowns, which included one of them being an impressive diving reception in the corner of the end zone. Earned 1st team All-State honors this season and looked to elevate his game in his senior season.