USC Football: Scouting 2024 Trojan Commit Defensive Lineman Deyvid Palepale

What is USC getting in the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive lineman?

Hempfield (Landisville, PA) defensive tackle Deyvid Palepale committed to USC in July. He chose the Trojans over Michigan, Penn State, Auburn, and Notre Dame to name a few. The Pennsylvania native joins Booker T. Washington (Atlanta, CA) edge defender Kameryn Fountain as the only two defensive linemen committed to USC’s 2024 class. Fountain projects as a defensive end or “rush” linebacker, while Palepale projects more as an interior defensive lineman.

So, what makes Palepale special? We broke down his Hudl film to answer that question and figure out how soon he might be able to make a difference along the Trojan defensive line, a unit that desperately needs help.

During Palepale’s junior highlight tape, he played all over the defensive line. The 6-3, 300-pound hammer displayed excellent bend and athleticism when he was playing out on the edge, rushing offensive tackles. This type of quickness and twitch is rare, and the key to why Palepale was so highly recruited.

He played both as a stand-up edge defender (in a three-down defensive front) and with his hand in the dirt. Apart from his straightforward explosiveness, Palepale also displayed excellent short-area burst with his lateral movement while crossing face against offensive lineman, and while in pursuit of quarterbacks.

He is not simply a hulking, lumbering giant in the middle of the defense that’s hard to move off the ball. Palepale is an actual athlete with refined technique. He can get his hands on the blocker and decipher what the blocker is trying to do to him, and counter with tenacity. His feel for defeating the block is elite.

Given how big the need is for interior space-eaters along the USC front, especially as they enter the Big 10 to face more pro-style offenses, we wouldn’t be surprised if Palepale sees the field sooner rather than later. He already plays at college-level speed. The key to his adaptation of the college game is if he can maintain his technique and match the physicality that top-offensive line recruits bring to the table at USC practices.

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