A.J. Epenesa, five-star defensive end, Iowa
It has been a very, very long time since the Iowa Hawkeyes had a freshman like A.J. Epenesa.
Checking in at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, Epenesa is a real deal at defensive end. He’s big, strong and explosive — equally effective against the pass as he is the run — and Iowa can use him off the edge right away.
According to the 247Sports Composite, which is an average ranking of all the major recruiting services, Epenesa was the No. 2 strong-side defensive end in the 2017 class and the No. 29 overall player in the class. The 247Sports only rankings were even higher on him, ranking him as the No. 1 SDE and the No. 6 overall player in the class.
Epenesa was a three-year high school All-American and a U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant. As a senior, he notched 31 solo tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, 14 quarterback pressures and nine blocked kicks.
He has the raw size, talent and speed to bully opposing offensive tackles in the Big Ten from day one in Iowa City.