Iowa Hawkeyes' Highly-Touted Signee Honored At Polynesian Bowl

This Iowa Hawkeyes' signee recently received high honors at the 2025 Polynesian Bowl.
Dec 27, 2019; San Diego, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes mascot Herky the Hawk gestures in the first half against the Southern California Trojans during the Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 27, 2019; San Diego, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes mascot Herky the Hawk gestures in the first half against the Southern California Trojans during the Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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After finishing an outstanding high school career, Iowa Hawkeyes' star-signee Iose Epenesa was recently recogonized for his efforts at the 2025 Polynesian Bowl.

Epenesa walked away from the prestigious bowl game as the 2024 Polynesian High School Defensive Player of the Year.

As the brother of current NFL veteran AJ Epenesa, Iose looks to be following in his brother's tracks, as he signed his national letter of intent to the Hawkeyes in Dec. The former five-star EDGE was the highest-rated player in Iowa's 2025 recruiting class.

Epenesa told Rob DeMello of KHON2 News in Honolulu that it was an honor to be named as one of the guys to compete at a high level.

β€œIt’s really special to me to be honored to be named as one of the guys to compete at this level," said Epenesa. "To practice against them and to make myself better is pretty cool. There is always something to learn. No one knows everything. Coming here, you learn new things about new people and going against the people."

In addition to his appearance at the Polynesian Bowl, Epenesa played in the All-American Bowl, which is known for hosting some of the top high school players in the country. National recruiting analystSam Spiegelman kept a close eye on the young talent, claiming that he was an MVP on the second day of the event.

With the Hawkeyes graduating a slew of veteran defenders this year, Epenesa's freakish athleticism and ability to get after quarterbacks with ease could make him a player to watch for in the future.


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