Michigan Football: Breaking down a 2024 D-line commitment

Michigan football has added Manuel Beigel to the 2024 recruiting class and we break down the addition for the Wolverines. 

The good news continues for Michigan football on the recruiting trail as the Wolverines added their third verbal commitment of the week on Saturday thanks to the pledge of 2024 defensive lineman Manuel Beigel.

Beigel who is listed at 6-foot-5, 282 pounds and is from Germany, according to On3, is another recruit that has committed to Michigan football from the PPI international placement program run by Brandon Collier.

On Friday, the Wolverines landed the commitment of a talented 2023 edge rusher from the program in Aymeric Koumba who is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 and has a 7-foot wing span.

Beigel who also visited Michigan football as part of Collier’s placement program received an offer from the Wolverines late in June and he really seemed blown away on his unofficial visit. There were rumblings about him making a commitment and soon after there were some experts projecting him to land at Michigan, which he ultimately did.

Breaking down another Michigan football commitment

Collier, who was also instrumental in bring over Julius Welschof from Germany to Michigan football, teased on Twitter that there could even be another commitment on the horizon from his program.

While we won’t worry about that just yet, it’s not surprising that Beigel pulled the trigger on a commitment or that Wolverines took it. They clearly trust the kind of players they are getting from Collier and a lot of it has to do with Mike Elston who is known as a great evaluator of talent.

You can bet that Michigan football wouldn’t be taking these international prospects without his approval and with the way NIL has been going, it’s smart of U-M to search out diamonds in the rough. It certainly worked with David Ojabo, Kwity Paye, and Josh Uche. It can work again.

Beigel is going to play at Choate in the Northeast and that will allow Michigan football to evaluate his talent over the new two years but the Wolverines have landed others from that school.

The hope is that like many international players, Beigel will out-play his ranking once he gets more familiar with football and is developed by Elston and the Michigan football staff.

It’s a strategy that makes sense and the Wolverines have to find any advantage they can in this new world of recruiting so if going international is the way to go, I’m all for it.

As long as Michigan sticks to 1-2 players per cycle because a team that supposed to be contending for the College Football Playoff can’t afford to have a team of developmental recruits.