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James Franklin and Penn State football get their summer visit calendar underway this weekend by bringing one of the top defensive prospects in the 2025 recruiting cycle to Happy Valley. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will host top Illinois defensive end Iose Epenesa for an official visit. Franklin and his staff are already familiar with the Epenesa family, having faced current Buffalo Bills edge rusher AJ Epenesa as a rising star at Iowa. Will Penn State be able to make a strong impression in an attempt to pull the younger Epenesa brother away from the Hawkeyes and his other suitors?
Iose Epenesa to make first official visit to Happy Valley this weekend
Like his older brother did almost a decade ago, Iose Epenesa is well on his way to becoming one of the top prospects in the nation for the upcoming 2025 recruiting cycle. Out of Edwardsville, 247Sports currently has Epenesa as the top player in the state of Illinois for the class of 2025. The outlet also ranks the four-star edge rusher as the No. 3 player at his position and the No. 20 recruit nationally.
This weekend, James Franklin, Deion Barnes, and the Nittany Lions will get Iose Epenesa to Happy Valley for the first time. Epenesa’s father put out his son’s first round of official visits on social media early this week, starting with an official visit to Penn State football on May 18.
With our busy schedule especially our son Iose Epenesa School & Sports, we are able to fit in OV’s to some of the schools from his Top 10 that was consistently shows up at EHS & sports events since day1God is good! @TigerFootball_ @ehstigershoops @TrackEHS @Edwardsville618 pic.twitter.com/wzy0OqNJMF
— Eppy Epenesa (@EEpenesa) May 10, 2024
Saturday’s visit will likely be more cordial than the other meetings the Nittany Lions have had with the Epenesa family. AJ Epenesa faced off against Penn State football three times as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes between 2017 and 2019, all of which were victories by the Nittany Lions. Epenesa recorded nine tackles and two sacks in those games.
Penn State football facing crowded field for Epenesa’s talents
While Penn State football is the first program to welcome Iose Epenesa to campus, the Nittany Lions are by no means the last. The top edge rusher will take visits to Missouri, Iowa, Utah, and Miami throughout June.
On3 currently has the Hawkeyes as the leader for Epenesa’s commitment. He’s traveled to Iowa City five times so far, including twice last fall. Of course, Kirk Ferentz can pitch a proven product in this recruitment; he turned AJ Epenesa into a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and second-round NFL Draft pick.
But there are other strong contenders as well. Epenesa will be making his second and third trips to Missouri and Miami, respectively, when he visits each next month. Utah is also likely in the mix with the program’s deep ties to the Polynesian community. 247Sports has in-state Illinois as a key player too, although the Illini didn’t make the cut for a visit this summer.
Penn State football currently has 13 commitments in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Nittany Lions have the No. 7 class in the 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 17 class in the On3 industry national rankings.
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