Hoosiers offer young Illinois gunslinger with close Indiana ties
College coaches are out on the road visiting schools and attending Midwest college days during the spring evaluation period, extending offers to the best prospects the region has to offer. Jameson Purcell, a freshman out of Maine South High School (Park Ridge, Ill.), picked up an offer from the Hoosiers last week after head coach Curt Cignetti and co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri saw the 6-2, 181-pound gunslinger throw at practice.
“I was so excited to see Coach Cignetti and Coach Sunseri at spring practice and I was so happy to have received an offer from them afterward,” said Purcell, who said he has “really connected” with Sunseri. “IU is a very special place in our house.
Indeed. Purcell’s parents attended school there, as did many of his extended family members.
“To receive an offer from a place that not only represents the Big 10, but has a lot of family history makes it that much more special,” he added.
Purcell said he was very impressed with the Bloomington campus. Even though he went on a rainy day, he said “there was something very warm and inviting about it.”
“I was instantly drawn to the old limestone buildings that look the way you would envision an old campus to look,” Purcell said. “I loved seeing the quad and the football facilities were amazing. There was something about Indiana that felt like home.”
“I really loved meeting the new football staff,” he added. “They were so welcoming and enthusiastic, it was hard not to pick up on their energy. It was contagious and you can tell they love being a part of this program.”
Purcell is undeniably a hard worker in a good high school program that can put points on the board. In addition to his team workouts and training with California-based Train 3DQB during spring break, he throws for National Playmakers Academy, a national 7v7 team, over the offseason. He hopes to lead his team to a state championship, too: the Maine South Hawks finished with a 10-2 record in 2023, narrowly losing to Barrington (final score: 42-40).
“We lift weights as a team before school every morning and we just started spring practices,” Purcell said. “We have been working hard to get our playbook down and build chemistry between all the positions.”
Indiana’s offer put Purcell over the double-digit mark of teams competing for his services. Western Kentucky, South Florida, UAB, Mississippi, New Mexico State, Louisville, Kentucky, Auburn and Vanderbilt are his other offers.
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