EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville football player Iose Epenesa followed in his dad’s and brothers’ A.J. and Eric’s footsteps as he signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The official event was held in a ceremony held Wednesday night, Dec. 4, 2024, at the Edwardsville High School auditorium.
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Epenesa joins his dad, Eppy, and his family in attending Iowa and playing on the football team.
Keeping the family legacy alive means very much to Epenesa.
“It just means the world to me, really,” Epenesa said in an interview that followed the ceremony. ”I just want to be able to call Iowa my home, and just continue the legacy.”
There were other schools in contention besides the Hawkeyes, as Epenesa called it a race that went to the very end.
“There were definitely other schools,” Epenesa said. “It was a race to the end, really, until I made my decision. It was between Penn State, Utah, Iowa, and Miami. All these were up there, and it was just a big, long race. It was very stressful, but I was eventually able to make my decision.”
Epenesa is looking forward to the challenge of competing in the Big Ten with Iowa.
“I hope I’m able to grow, and just have a really big impact in the Big Ten," Epenesa said.
Epenesa is still undecided about his major.
“I still haven’t figured it out,” Epenesa said. “Once I figure out my major, I’ll start planning it out. But for right now, I’m just about to make it to the next level of football, and I’m still trying to figure out my major. So that’ll help, and figure out what’s going to happen after college.”
Edwardsville head coach Kelsey Pickering is very proud of both Epenesa, and his teammate, Clayton Lakatos, who signed with SIU-Carbondale on Wednesday as well.
“Oh, yeah,” Pickering said. “They’re both great young men, great families, Iose a four-year starter, Clayton a three-year starter. Their on-the-field-accolades, I don’t even know if they measure up to who they are off the field. They’re just great young people, and excited to watch their next steps. They get to follow their dreams of playing college football while taking care of their academics. So, it’s always a celebration, it’s such a nice night.”
Pickering knows that Iowa will get a high-character player in Epenesa, who works hard and is also a great teammate as well. It’s also the same with Lakatos with the Salukis.
“They’re going to find they’re getting a hard worker,” Pickering said. “A young man, he’s not complete, but he’s a polished player. He’s very technically sound. And he’s not afraid to stick it in there and work. I know we’re talking about Iose, but they both are just going to come in and work. They’ll both be great locker room guys. That’s the part I know we got to see just how they embrace a locker room. They embrace their teammates, and they help them with anything, really, So, Iose and Clayton are both just great young men, for the locker room and on the field.”
Of course, Epenesa’s older brother A.J. has become a key defensive player for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, and it’s a dream the Iose would love the opportunity to pursue one day.
“You know, that’s my dream,” Epenesa said. “It’s been my dream since I was young to be able to play in the NFL, so, I mean, if I’m able to, I’ll take the chance and I’d love it.”
As to a favorite memory of playing for the Tigers, he kept it simple and team-oriented. And he also pointed to a first-round playoff game in 2022 as his all-time favorite.
“My favorite memory is being able to be with my teammates,” Epenesa said. “Being able to celebrate with them all the good wins. But my favorite memory is whenever we beat O’Fallon in my sophomore year. After we lost to them in the regular season, we came back and beat them in the playoffs. That’s my favorite memory of all time. It was a great ball game, and a lot of my friends were on that team, so I was able to celebrate with them, and it’s pretty cool.”
As far as the future goes, Epenesa will graduate from Edwardsville High, then it’s right back to work to prepare for the Hawkeyes and the Big Ten.
“Probably a week after graduation, I’m going to Iowa,” Epenesa said, “and get to work, really.”
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