Ratings
| Stars | Overall | Position | State | |
| 247Sports | 3 | – | #83 DL | #16 |
| On3 | 3 | – | #78 DL | #26 |
| Rivals | 3 | – | #35 DL | #17 |
| ESPN | 3 | – | #27 DL | #13 |
| 247Sports Composite | 3 | 746 | #88 DL | #20 |
| On3 Consensus | 3 | 805 | #78 DL | #19 |
Vitals
| Hometown | Landsville (Pa.) Manheim |
| Projected Position | Defensive Line |
| Height | 6-foot-3 |
| Weight | 305-pounds |
Notable offers
- Auburn
- Colorado
- Florida
- Kentucky
- Louisville
- Maryland
- Miami (FL)
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Penn State
- Pitt
- Rutgers
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- USC
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Readiness Level
Has the talent to potentially play in year one.
Notes
- Committed Dec. 9, 2023
- Originally committed to USC
- Selected to the Polynesian Bowl
- Originally from Anchorage, Alaska
Scouting report
Via WolverinesWire’s Owen Pustell:
The first thing you notice about Palepale is his movement. He doesn’t have the long, explosive frame of most elite defensive tackles, but he covers ground well regardless. His tape has a number of plays where he comes from the backside of a run play and catches the running back or simply hawks down a quarterback escaping the pocket. If he sticks at nose, he can jump between gaps and get penetration instead of just holding up blocks to free linebackers. There is one specific play where Palepale is lined up as a zero technique and perfectly executes his rush to both collapse the pocket while keeping the QB in front of him. He crosses the face of the center three time and takes the quarterback down for at most a minimal gain.
I also came away impressed with his get off. He looked to jump off the ball well, and does a good job avoiding standing directly up, which is often an issue for young defensive tackles. Firing out instead of up from his stances allows him to attack the offensive lineman and reduces the size of his chest, making it hard for offensive lineman to land a punch.
So, what are the downsides? Well, there aren’t many. The biggest knock on his ranking is that he didn’t play as a senior. Other than that, he’s not elite at any one specific trait. Yes, he’s got ability but he can’t move like Kris Jenkins. Yes, he’s got power, but he can’t anchor like Mazi. Sure, he could stand to clean up his hand use a little, but he still demontrates the basic shock and shed technique in the run game and looked at least adequate as a pass rusher. Like I said, he is similar in many ways to currently starter Mason Graham. It’s a little foolish for rankings to work the way they do. Palepale is a guy who will contribute for three or so years at a Power Five level and his ranking would likely be no higher that the top 400 even with senior tape. The focus on upside is absurd. Palepale had offers from schools like Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Penn State and his overall ranking outside the top 700 is insane.