A.J. Epenesa will be one of the leaders on a defensive unit for an Iowa football team that ranked seventh in the country last season in total defense. They will be looking to repeat that in 2019. This time, Epenesa will be a starter.
The former 5-star recruit from Edwardsville has been everything the Hawkeyes could have asked for. As a true freshman, he played in eleven games and recorded 15 total tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Flash forward to his sophomore year and Epenesa recorded 37 total tackles, 16.