Deyvid Palepale on Shaun Nua, His Dream School and What Made USC the Right Choice

The USC Trojans added commitment No. 17 to their 2024 recruiting class on Saturday as three-star defensive lineman Deyvid Palepale announces his pledge.

The 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive lineman committed to USC on July 1. Had he announced his commitment on June 1, the Trojans would not have been the choice. At that time, Palepale was on his way to Penn State for an official visit.

“Honestly, that’s where I was leaning most towards,” Palepale told WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader of Penn State. “They’d been in and out of the school all year. They’re close to home. They offered early. Building that relationship, I felt really close with them. I was really high on them.”

But USC had a few things working for it in this recruitment.

Palepale grew up in Alaska and said USC was always his dream school. That meant when the Trojans came calling, he felt he had to give them a fair shot.

But maybe the biggest reason USC won out is that defensive line coach Shaun Nua was leading the charge.

Nua’s Importance in Palepale’s USC Recruitment

Palepale said the relationship he was able to develop with Nua was significant. And he couldn’t overlook the fact that USC coaches would spend so much time recruiting a player on the other side of the country.

“That was big for me,” Palepale said. “They’re taking a chance on me, fighting really hard. Coach Nua was always in contact… I had to give him that chance.”

That “chance” was taking a visit to see what USC had to offer. Palepale took both an unofficial visit and an official visit to USC.

Palepale said the Trojans, and Nua specifically, “hit it out of the park” on that visit. What’s surprising is that Palepale said that of the unofficial visit. That one stuck out to him just as much as the official.

“Coach Nua is a guy I want to be around,” Palepale said. “Who I trust that will push me to my limits. And just look after me like my parents.”

It was Nua who sealed the deal for USC. On his visit, Palepale met with his future coach on Sunday at the position meeting. This came after a lot of the educational meetings, where Palepale said it was the first time he’d spoken with any professor from any of the schools he’d visited. Nua shared a story with Palepale that really resonated with him.

Nua relayed a story to Palepale about how one of his players wasn’t doing well in his chosen major and some professors suggested that he switch to a different area of study.

“He stood up for him and told them, ‘If he fails, let him fail, but that’s what he wants to do,’” Palepale said. “That part got me and my family, too. I can trust this guy”

Palepale Finds Family Fit With the Trojans

Palepale said he spent significant time with Solomon Tuliaupupu, Kobe Pepe, Kyon Barrs and Mason Cobb, among others.

“I felt like I was back in Alaska,” Palepale said. “I was like, just with my family. That’s honestly how it felt.”

Now, he’s becoming close with fellow USC 2024 commitments in Braylon Conley, Dakoda Fields and Makai Saina.

Not so Distant Distance

Distance from home is always going to be a fight when USC goes after East Coast and Southeastern prospects. But a couple of recent developments have given the Trojans a big edge compared to what they used to face.

The first is the move to the Big Ten Conference. Palepale said it didn’t really come up in discussions with USC. But that might have been because he already knows all about it. He is already talking about USC’s trip to Happy Valley to face Penn State in 2024. But he’s first focused on USC’s game against LSU at the Raiders’ stadium in Las Vegas.

“I’m so excited to play in the Big Ten,” Palepale said. “It’s unreal. And for my dream school…We’re going to have one of the toughest schedules, but it builds champions.”

NIL will play a part as well, but not in the way many think. Palepale said he spoke to people at USC about NIL for about five minutes compared to 30-60 minute presentations at Michigan and Penn State. But one NIL perk that USC families have been able to take advantage of and absolutely come to love is a partnership that allows them airfare to a USC home or away game. And that will likely continue to expand in order to ease the travel burden of families getting to Los Angeles or away games.

Palepale’s Fit on the Defensive Line

Palepale said he’s going to come in as an interior defensive lineman, either at nose tackle or three-technique.

“Heavy on the inside and just causing havoc in the backfield,” Palepale said of Nua’s plan. “He said I do have good feet. He wants me to have great feet. Not only fixing what I don’t have but building on what I do. And I think he’s going to bring the best out of me and help me master my craft.

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