Video: Kirk Ferentz on Iowa’s QB play during Kids’ Day at Kinnick
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz addresses the media following Kids’ Day at Kinnick on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
IOWA CITY — Iowa football legacy recruit lose Epenesa has committed to the Hawkeyes.
The development marks a major recruiting win for Iowa as Epenesa becomes the crown jewel in its 2025 class.
Iose Epenesa 247 ranking
A product of Edwardsville High School (Illinois), Epenesa is a four-star recruit and ranked 42nd nationally in the 2025 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is also the top-ranked prospect in the state of Illinois’ rising senior class.
The defensive lineman is listed at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, according to his 247Sports profile.
For Epenesa, Iowa is family
Epenesa’s ties with the Hawkeyes runs deep. His father, Eppy, played football at Iowa. So did his brother A.J., a star who accumulated 26 career sacks for the Hawkeyes before being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. On top of that, Epenesa’s brother, Eric, is a linebacker on Iowa’s current roster.
It became a family outing in Iowa City when lose Epenesa took an official visit in June.
lose Epenesa was also recently on campus for Kids’ Day at Kinnick in August.
Iose Epenesa’s recruitment has been of high interest to Iowa fans because of his prestige as a recruit and his family’s ties to the program. Iose Epenesa’s top 10 schools were Iowa, Oregon, Illinois, Utah, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Missouri, Kentucky, Penn State and Texas.
During the spring, Iose Epenesa took several official visits as a decision neared. That consisted of trips to Penn State, Missouri, Iowa, Utah and Miami (Fla.).
But just like his father and brothers, Iose Epenesa’s college decision landed in Iowa City. It is a massive pickup for defensive line coach Kelvin Bell and the Iowa staff.
Bell and assistant defensive line coach/defensive recruiting coordinator Jay Niemann have helped send multiple Hawkeyes to the next level, including Lukas Van Ness, Logan Lee and Joe Evans. A program, particularly defensively, that has a great track record of developing talent, now has one of the best defensive linemen in the class. Iose Epenesa now has the potential to play a key role in maintaining Iowa’s defensive dominance under coordinator Phil Parker.
Iose Epenesa is not the only legacy commitment in Iowa’s 2025 class. Iowa City West’s Mason Woods, son of Hawkeye special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, made his public pledge to Iowa in June. The pair have known each other for a while and were in communication leading up to Iose Epenesa’s decision.
“He has too many people in his ear telling him where to go, all that,” Woods told 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 major gains 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 is still in the running for receiver Terrence Smith. The Hawkeyes already had pledges from other pass catchers, including tight ends Eli Johnson and Thomas Meyer. Woods expects to play either tight end or wide receiver for the Hawkeyes. But Smith would fill a major area of need for the Hawkeyes in the class.
Iowa football recruiting class 2025
Epenesa is the 15th player to commit to Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s 2025 recruiting class.
He joins the following verbal commitments in the class:
- Specialist Scott Starzyk (The Woodlands High School, Texas)
- Defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon (Marist, Ill.)
- Cornerback CJ Bell (St. Thomas More School, CT)
- Offensive lineman Lucas Allgeyer (Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day, MO)
- Offensive lineman Cameron Herron (Warren Central, Ind.)
- Athlete Mason Woods (Iowa City West)
- Defensive back Drew MacPherson (Loyola Academy, Ill.)
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald (Loyola Academy, Ill.)
- Tight end Thomas Meyer (Clear Lake)
- Linebacker Burke Gautcher (Sycamore, Ill.)
- Linebacker Carson Cooney (Oswego, Ill.),
- Tight end Eli Johnson (River Falls, Wis.),
- Quarterback Jimmy Sullivan (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
- Defensive lineman Joey VanWetzinga (Pleasant Valley)
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
