IOWA CITY — Iowa soccer legacy recruit lose Epenesa has dedicated to the Hawkeyes.
The event marks a serious recruiting win for Iowa as Epenesa turns into the crown jewel in its 2025 class.
Iose Epenesa 247 rating
A product of Edwardsville Excessive Faculty (Illinois), Epenesa is a four-star recruit and ranked forty second nationally within the 2025 recruiting class, in keeping with the 247Sports Composite. He’s additionally the top-ranked prospect within the state of Illinois’ rising senior class.
The defensive lineman is listed at 6-foot-4 and 270 kilos, in keeping with his 247Sports profile.
For Epenesa, Iowa is household
Epenesa’s ties with the Hawkeyes runs deep. His father, Eppy, performed soccer at Iowa. So did his brother A.J., a star who amassed 26 profession sacks for the Hawkeyes earlier than being drafted within the 2nd spherical of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Payments. On prime of that, Epenesa’s brother, Eric, is a linebacker on Iowa’s present roster.
It turned a household outing in Iowa Metropolis when lose Epenesa took an official go to in June.
lose Epenesa was additionally just lately on campus for Children’ Day at Kinnick in August.
Iose Epenesa’s recruitment has been of excessive curiosity to Iowa followers due to his status as a recruit and his household’s ties to this system. Iose Epenesa’s prime 10 faculties have been Iowa, Oregon, Illinois, Utah, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Missouri, Kentucky, Penn State and Texas.
In the course of the spring, Iose Epenesa took a number of official visits as a call neared. That consisted of journeys to Penn State, Missouri, Iowa, Utah and Miami (Fla.).
However similar to his father and brothers, Iose Epenesa’s school determination landed in Iowa Metropolis. It’s a huge pickup for defensive position coach Kelvin Bell and the Iowa employees.
Bell and assistant defensive position coach Jay Niemann have helped ship a number of Hawkeyes to the subsequent stage, together with Lukas Van Ness, Logan Lee and Joe Evans. A program, notably defensively, that has an excellent monitor report of growing expertise, now has among the finest defensive linemen within the class. Iose Epenesa now has the potential to play a key function in sustaining Iowa’s defensive dominance beneath coordinator Phil Parker.
Iose Epenesa will not be the one legacy dedication in Iowa’s 2025 class. Iowa Metropolis West’s Mason Woods, son of Hawkeye particular groups coordinator LeVar Woods, made his public pledge to Iowa in June. The pair have recognized one another for some time and have been in communication main as much as Iose Epenesa’s determination.
“He has too many people in his ear telling him where to go, all that,” Woods informed the Register in June. “I’m just trying to be like kinda his support system and tell him, just do whatever makes him happy. But I feel like he knows where (home is).”
Iowa has made main beneficial properties in its 2025 recruiting class. This offseason, the Hawkeyes have landed verbal commitments from Woods, a pair of offensive linemen, 3-star cornerback CJ Bell, 3-star defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon and 5-star specialist Scott Starzyk.
Iowa continues to be within the operating for receiver Terrence Smith. The Hawkeyes already had pledges from different go catchers, together with tight ends Eli Johnson and Thomas Meyer. Woods expects to play both tight finish or vast receiver for the Hawkeyes. However Smith would fill a serious space of want for the Hawkeyes within the class.
Iowa soccer recruiting class 2025
Epenesa is the fifteenth participant to decide to Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s 2025 recruiting class.
He joins the next verbal commitments within the class:
- Specialist Scott Starzyk (The Woodlands Excessive Faculty, Texas)
- Defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon (Marist, Unwell.)
- Cornerback CJ Bell (St. Thomas Extra Faculty, CT)
- Offensive lineman Lucas Allgeyer (Mary Institute and St. Louis Nation Day, MO)
- Offensive lineman Cameron Herron (Warren Central, Ind.)
- Athlete Mason Woods (Iowa Metropolis West)
- Defensive again Drew MacPherson (Loyola Academy, Unwell.)
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald (Loyola Academy, Unwell.)
- Tight finish Thomas Meyer (Clear Lake)
- Linebacker Burke Gautcher (Sycamore, Unwell.)
- Linebacker Carson Cooney (Oswego, Unwell.),
- Tight finish Eli Johnson (River Falls, Wis.),
- Quarterback Jimmy Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
- Defensive lineman Joey VanWetzinga (Nice Valley)
Observe Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact through electronic mail at ttachman@gannett.com
