Iose Epenesa 'growing' during Iowa football spring practice

Expectations can be a blessing and a curse. They are undeniably a lot of weight, but that pressure can turn talent into diamonds. That is what the Iowa Hawkeyes are hopeful occurs with Iose Epenesa, the five-star recruit entering his second season with the program.

Epenesa came to Iowa to continue the family tradition after his brother, A.J., excelled at Iowa before going to the NFL. Heading into his sophomore season, Iose is hoping to do the same, and defensive coordinator Phil Parker talked about the growth he is showing.

"Iose is doing good. He's making progress. Obviously he's a young kid that has a lot of expectations on him, and I think he's done a good job as far as improving.

"There are sometimes you sit there and say, hey, I wish he was farther along, but I think he keeps on working. It's not like we're playing a game this Saturday. So making a lot of plays on the ball, and he's done a really good job, and he's very not an up-and-down guy. He's very not emotional and stuff like that, but very good player. I think he's growing, and he's got a chance to play a lot of football for us," Parker said of Iose Epenesa getting further integrated into Iowa's scheme.

A five-star recruit in the class of 2025, Iose Epenesa, the product of Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois, chose the Hawkeyes over the likes of Penn State, Miami, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, USC, and Washington, among others.

Appearing in just four games last year, Epenesa aims to become more of a staple in Parker's defensive scheme this year, and Iowa seeks production on the defensive line, a usual strength of theirs.