Iowa Recruiting: 5-star with familiar name set to visit Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a humble 2025 recruiting class to this point. Though it's early, 247Sports ranks the class No. 49 in the country as Kirk Ferentz has just seven commits so far.

The top player Iowa has locked down is four-star in-state tight end Thomas Meyer, who announced his commitment in February. He along with the other six commits in the class will be on campus Friday, June 21 as Iowa hosts 22 total players.

Before we get to that big recruiting weekend for the Hawkeyes, one notable name on Ferentz's staff's radar is coming to Iowa today, Friday, June 7.

Iose Epenesa, the younger brother of former Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa, is making his visit with the Hawkeyes as he continues to weigh his decision.

Epenesa is a composite four-star (247Sports gives him a 5-star) edge from Edwardsville, IL. 247Sports has him as the top player in Illinois, the No. 3 edge defender and the No. 15 overall player in the country. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder tallied six sacks last season.

Iowa fans have likely been hoping for a commitment from Epenesa and this visit could get them one step closer. While 247Sports doesn't have a crystal ball prediction just yet, On3 gives Iowa a 32.3% chance of landing him with their prediction model.

It's worth noting this is the first of three visits for Epenesa this month. On June 14 he'll be in Utah and on June 21 he'll be in Miami. The Hurricanes are the biggest threat to Iowa in the recruiting race. He's also taken past visits to contenders Penn State and Missouri.

While there isn't a timetable for Epenesa's commitment, landing him would be a significant spark for the rest of the class. Ferentz, along with primary recruiters special teams coordinator LeVar Woods and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell will no doubt roll out the red carpet for Epenesa ahead of his trip to Miami.

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