Deyvid Palepale picks USC: Defensive lineman chooses Trojans over Penn State, Michigan

Three-star is the No. 20 ranked prospect in Pennsylvania

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Jul 1, 2023

Deyvid Palepale picks USC: Defensive lineman chooses Trojans over Penn State, Michigan /

Hempfield High School (Pennsylvania) star defensive lineman Deyvid Palepale teased his college commitment on Sunday with a tweet that said "usc?"

Turns out, it was a direct signal.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman announced his commitment to USC Saturday live with 247 Sports on Saturday morning, picking the Trojans over Michigan and Penn State.

He's a three-star prospect, the No. 20 ranked recruit in Pennsylvania and the No. 62 defensive lineman in the country, according to the 247 Sports Composite.

The class of 2024 lineman is the cousin of former Oregon Ducks standout Penei Sewell, who plays for the Detroit Lions. His native state is Alaska, but moved in high school out to Landisville, Pennsylvania.

On the live announcement stream, Palepale thanked and paid tribute to his family extensively, before asking a younger relative where he's going. She replied: "We're going to USC" and the family put the "Fight On" sign up.

During his junior season, Palepale managed to produce highlight-reel plays from inside the trenches.

He scooped up a forced fumble in a win over Penn Manor and returned it for touchdown, earning one of SBLive Pennsylvania's top plays of the week.

Published Jul 1, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.