Maine South’s Purcell verbally commits to Indiana

Family ties are hard to break.

Maine South rising junior quarterback Jameson Purcell showed that Monday morning when he announced on social media his verbal commitment to Indiana University.

Purcell’s parents, Stacy and James, are both Indiana graduates. The pair met there when they were in college, so the school has always been a special place for the younger Purcell.

“Indiana checks all the boxes for me,” Jameson Purcell said. “ … It's, you know, obviously my decision, but yeah, having my parents as alums, it definitely played a big part. I also had a lot of cousins that have gone there. I got a lot of intel from them and how they liked it at Indiana. That really helped.”

Purcell had 24 FBS scholarship offers, including from Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Miami, Fla. As reported by Rivals.com recruiting analyst “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran in Monday’s Daily Herald, Purcell also attended camps at Notre Dame and Ohio State, and had private workouts at Michigan and Florida.

Purcell, who is rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals, made his decision in early July. He told his family at a gathering in Lake Geneva, Wis., over the Fourth of July weekend, and decided to wait to make the announcement on social media.

“We have a family place we share with all of our cousins,” Purcell said. “When we were up there … I announced my decision to all of them. I then let all my coaches and close people know, and then we finally came out (Monday) with it public.”

Maine South head coach Dave Inserra said he believes Indiana is a perfect fit for Purcell.

“Both his parents went there, so he's been on the campus a lot,” Inserra said. “I think he's an Indiana fan, first and foremost. Obviously, (head coach Curt Cignetti) did an outstanding job last year with the Hoosiers, and there are some good things on the horizon for them. It is a Big Ten program that is fairly close to home. He also may have a chance to get on the field earlier. But the competition, obviously, is always going to be great in the Big Ten.”

Purcell, who is 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, threw for 2,572 yards with 30 touchdowns and had a 70% completion percentage. Purcell likes that Indiana operates a pro-style offense.

“The biggest thing is, you know, having a super good relationship with coach Cignetti and (quarterbacks coach) Chandler Whitmer,” Purcell said. “I feel like I could fit in there. They run a pro-style offense, which I like. And … as you saw last year, coach Cignetti did a great job. It is a great academic school.”

Purcell said the focus now is getting ready for the upcoming football season. Maine South scrimmaged St. Charles North and last weekend Purcell helped lead his team to a second-place finish at a 7-on-7 tournament in Bowling Green, Ky.

“We looked really good, especially on offense,” Purcell said. “We're clicking. So it was a good experience. At this point, we kind of get a little tired of facing each other. It's always good to … practice or play against another team.”