Leone coach talks up speedy LB/DE Purcell

It’s been a whirlwind 24-hours in covering the recruitment of Amani Purcell (6-5, 250/DE&LB) from Leone High in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Last night Purcell said he gave a verbal commitment to Penn State and now that the situation has settled we had a chance to talk with Leone head coach Okland Salave’a about Purcell.

“I became head coach at Leone High School before the start of the 2002 season. Amani has been a four-year starter here at Leone High. The first three years were under head coach Francis Tuitele,” Salave’a said. “Amani has started at the outside linebacker-defensive end position in both our 5-2 and 4-3 defensive fronts and has just been unbelievable in both those defensive schemes.”

Salave’a stressed that Purcell’s speed is no exaggeration and that Purcell is also quite strong.

“He has legitimate 4.5 40 yard speed. Last spring he bench press 350 pounds and squatted 485 pounds,” Salave’a said. “His best assets have to be his speed and his uncanny ability of finding the football. He just has a nose for the football.

Purcell will be looking to hone that athletic ability quickly. He’ll make the trek from the South Pacific to central Pennsylvania in late spring.

“Amani will be arriving at Penn State early. He will get to Penn State the last week in May or the first week in June,” Salave’a said. “It is his desire to start school early and get the opportunity to work out early and work with defensive line coach Larry Johnson this entire summer.

Purcell had some disparate region options to choose from. He visited Penn State on Jan. 24 and also visited Utah, Hawaii and Colorado. He also had offers from Oklahoma, USC, UCLA, Oregon and Tennessee.

“It came down to Penn State or Utah and he was thoroughly impressed with the academic atmosphere at Penn State during his official visit.”

Assistant coach Brian Norwood headed up the recruiting effort with Purcell and indicated that the Lions liked him at two positions.

“Brian Norwood is leaving from Pago Pago tomorrow and they’ve told Amani that they see him capable of playing defensive end or outside linebacker in Penn State’s defensive scheme.”

Purcell had more than 400 tackles in four years and is generally considered to be the best football prospect to come out of American Samoa in the last 10 years.

His brother Mel was a redshirt freshman on Hawaii’s football team last season.