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Huskers land potential game-breaking receiver[/SIZE]
Check off another recruiting objective as accomplished for Nebraska football coach Bill Callahan.
It was just a week ago when Callahan recited a list of his top remaining objectives in recruiting this season. On it was the need for help on the offensive line, at safety and wide receiver.
NU landed oral commitments from a pair of linemen and a touted safety out of its group of visitors last weekend. On Wednesday, the Huskers got their wide receiver.
Maurice Purify, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound star at the City College of San Francisco, accepted the Huskers offer more than two months after he visited Lincoln to watch Nebraska play Texas Tech. He is the 21st member of this NU class, the sixth Californian and the ninth junior-college player.
He might also be one of the best.
"You've got a big receiver who can run like a deer and jump like a gazelle," said George Rush, his juco head coach. "He's tough. He can make all the catches. Sign him up. You're going to want to be his agent."
A four-star prospect rated by rivals.com as the nation's No. 12 junior-college player, Purify caught 56 passes for more than 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season this fall.
He followed that performance with four more touchdowns in the two playoff games as the City College of San Francisco lost to Grossmont (Calif.) College, 41-38, Saturday in the junior-college state title game.
"He was the offensive MVP even though we lost," said Eduardo Nuno, the offensive line coach at the City College of San Francisco. "We just didn't have enough snaps to get him the play. He did everything for us.
"We're going to be paying to watch him play some day."
Purify, originally from Eureka, Calif., earned similar praise from Brad Hoiseth of JCGridon.com.
"Mo is a man among boys," Hoiseth said. "He's a guy with an NFL body that could step in right away and have a big impact.
The Huskers return top receivers Nate Swift and Terrence Nunn next season. They have already received a commitment from high school senior Menelik Holt of San Diego, but Purify appears to give Nebraska a potential game-breaker at the position.
"Let's just say he gets a lot of mail here," Nuno said.
The City College of San Francisco has sent 36 players to Division I-A programs over the past two years. The school's alumni include Arizona Cardinals linebacker Lance Mitchell, formerly of Oklahoma, and New York Giants safety Gibril Wilson, who played at Tennessee.
The school also produced Nebraska senior offensive tackle Cornealius Fuamata-Thomas.
Purify picked Nebraska over offers from Arizona, Oregon State, Washington and Kentucky. He plans to sign a letter of intent Feb. 1 and will have three years to complete two seasons of eligibility.