California Golden Bears Athletics
Taimane Purcell Awarded ACC Rookie Of The Week
10/5/2026 11:00 AM | Football
Cal Freshman Tight End Receives First Conference Honor
California football true freshman tight end Taimane Purcell has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week, announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference office on Monday. This is the first weekly conference honor of Purcell's career and the second captured by a Golden Bear this season after defensive back Kingston Lopa earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors after Cal's Week 2 win over Syracuse.
Purcell captured the first touchdown reception of his career this past weekend against UNLV. On 1st-and-10 from the Cal 9, quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele connected with Purcell on the right sideline and Purcell broke a tackle and charged towards the end zone to give the Bears their first score of the day. The 91-yard score is the second-longest pass play in program history.
Purcell had the best day of his career so far against the Rebels, setting personal bests in receptions (3), receiving yards (102) and longest reception (91). He has seen action in all of Cal's games this season, catching two passes for 14 combined yards at Syracuse and adding a 9-yard reception against Wagner.
A native of Aiea, Hawai'i, Purcell played prep ball at Kamehameha Kapalama high school. There, he caught 16 passes for 178 as a senior. He was rated a 4-star recruit, the No. 3 overall player in Hawai'i and the nation's No. 16 tight end recruit, according to 247Sports.
