Nine months ago, the Wolverines landed a commitment that most teams overlooked. Manuel Beigel, a three-star defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class, was a recruit that was on almost no one’s radar at the time of his commitment to Michigan football. Now, months after Jim Harbaugh landed his commitment, Penn State football and Georgia are looking to steal this long-time Michigan football commit.
This week, Beigel picked up a pair of high-caliber offers from James Franklin and Kirby Smart, though few expect him to waiver from Jim Harbaugh’s grasp due to the nature of his relationship with the Wolverines.
Penn State, Georgia looking to poach long-time Michigan football commit
For a while, Beigel was not rated by 247 Sports, though as of late, the famed recruiting service named him a three-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 45 defensive lineman in the 2024 class and the No. 6 recruit in the state of Connecticut. Now, nearly a year after his commitment, Penn State and Georgia are taking note of the underrated talent.
Manuel Beigel stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in over 280-pounds heading into his senior year of high school — his frame and talent make him an ideal lineman for Jim Harbaugh’s gritty Big Ten defense, though no one else seemed to take note until recently.
While Penn State and Georgia would undoubtedly love to steal this long-time Michigan football commit, Beigel has an incredible relationship with Michigan’s staff and program (seeing as the Wolverines noticed him far sooner) and is not expected to budge one bit as other programs come calling. Still, this goes to show how keen Jim Harbaugh’s eye is for top talent, even when it does have the star ratings to match.
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