Epstein wasn’t the most highly rated recruit coming out of the prestigious St. Thomas Aquinas High School down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 247Sports only had him as the No. 1063 player in the class of 2017. But once this kid came into the program, he started to really show why he could be the future at the running back position.
Illinois felt the impact from day one with Epstein. While the team wasn’t great, he still managed to rush for a 6.1 yards per carry average during his freshman campaign. Sadly, he couldn’t finish that season because of a foot injury.