Warriors defensive line
to add another Purcell

A Hawaii defensive line riddled by injuries last season got some good news recently, both for the upcoming season and the next.

With Lawrence Wilson gaining his eligibility and Keala Watson, Clarence Tuioti-Mariner and Fale Laeli returning from medical issues, the Warriors' defensive front figures to get a boost in the fall.

UH is also expected to gain a defensive end in 2006 when Amani Purcell becomes eligible.

Purcell is planning to transfer from Penn State and enroll at UH this fall, his brother, current Warriors defensive end Mel Purcell, confirmed yesterday.

"He'll be a Warrior in the fall," Mel Purcell said.

As a transfer, Amani Purcell will have to sit out this season. He is awaiting a release from Penn State that would allow him to receive financial aid at UH, and he will have two years of eligibility remaining.

"Everything is set, we just don't know when Penn State is going to sign his release," Mel Purcell said.

Amani Purcell signed with Penn State coming out of Leone High School in American Samoa following a tight recruiting battle between UH and Penn State in 2003.

He redshirted his first year and played in eight games and had one tackle for Penn State last season.

His brother was as surprised as anyone to get the call from Amani saying he wanted to join him in Manoa.

"I just wanted him to make his own decision, wherever he would feel comfortable," Mel said of Amani initially picking Penn State. "All of a sudden one day I got a phone call and he said he wanted to come out here."

Mel Purcell said he's fully recovered from a concussion he suffered during spring practice and has been cleared to play this season.

"I'm hitting the weights and doing the running right now," he said.

Wilson graduated from Farrington in 2002 and played two seasons at Dixie College in Utah. He signed with UH last year, but didn't receive academic clearance to play.