UCLA Offers One of Top Class of 2026 Prospects in Hawaii

UCLA is extending offers all around the country. The Bruins recently offered one of the top class of 2026 recruits in Hawaii.

Sep 17, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver coach Jerry Neuheisel directs players on the field prior to the game against the South Alabama Jaguars at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA has looked near and far while on the recruiting trail this offseason, leaving no stone unturned.

Recently, the Bruins extended an offer to one of the top class of 2026 prospects in the state of Hawaii, Taimane Purcell, who announced the offer on social media on Monday.

Purcell, who plays for Kamehameha High School in Honolulu, is rated a three-star tight end by 247Sports, which has him ranked the No. 3 class of 2026 recruit in Hawaii and the No. 37 tight end in his class.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins evaluated Purcell last July:

"The ’26 class in Hawaii looks strong and Purcell is already being recruited at the national level. He’s a talented tight end with a lot of traits that project to the college level. He has an athletic 6-3, 230 pound frame, is a fluid mover and shows natural hands as a pass catcher. He doesn’t fight the ball, which allows him to snag it and quickly get up the field with limited wasted motion. He catches the ball well through contact and runs well after the catch. With two more years to develop, he’s an exciting player to monitor and someone we think will be among the top tight end prospects out West."

Purcell has also received offers from Oregon State, Michigan State, UNLV, Stanford, Cal, Oklahoma State, Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah and Arizona State, among others.

The prospect is being recruited by UCLA tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel, a veteran on the Bruins' coaching staff who will be going into his second season as the program's tight ends coach.

Neuheisel has been quite active on the recruiting trail this offseason, making visits and extending offers to some of the best tight ends in the class of 2026 and 2027.

The longtime UCLA coach and former Bruin quarterback was named the program's assistant head coach in December. Prior to becoming UCLA's tight ends coach, he had served as its wide receivers coach for three seasons and was a graduate assistant the three seasons before that.

Neuheisel began his coaching career as an offensive quality control coach for Cal before returning to his alma mater.

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