The Miami football program has positioned itself well to compete with Iowa for the commitment of four-star edge rusher Iose Espensa after securing an official visit for the weekend of June 22.
Miami’s football team is ranked as the second favorite for four-star defensive lineman Iose Epenesa from Edwardsville, Illinois, behind Iowa. Epenesa, who has a June 22 visit scheduled to Coral Gables, comes from an Iowa legacy; his brother A.J. was first-team All-Big 10 in 2018 and 2019.
Miami will be the last of five official visits for Epenesa, according to a post by his father Eppy. Penn State is first on May 18, followed by Missouri on June 1, Iowa on June 8, Utah on June 15, and then Miami.
Epenesa is on the verge of becoming a five-star prospect, currently ranked as the 37th prospect, fifth DL, and second-best player in Illinois in the 2025 class in the 247Sports rankings. Miami is close to securing another top DL from Illinois for the second consecutive year.
In the 2024 class, Miami signed the top two DL in Illinois: tackle Justin Scott and edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot, both of whom were five-star signees. Edwardsville, where Epenesa hails from, is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River from St. Louis, while Lightfoot and Scott are from Chicago.
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 day1🙏God is good! @TigerFootball_ @ehstigershoops @TrackEHS @Edwardsville618 pic.twitter.com/wzy0OqNJMF
— Eppy Epenesa (@EEpenesa) May 10, 2024
Four-star linebacker Elijah Melendez is the only 2025 Miami defensive commit so far. Adding Epenesa would be a significant addition to Miami’s already impressive 2024 DL class. Miami also secured commitments from five-star versatile DL Armondo Blount and several blue-chip edge rushers. Four-star tight end Brock Schott is currently Miami’s highest-ranked commit for the 2024 class.
Iowa remains the favorite for Epenesa’s commitment with a 32.2 percent chance, while Miami is second at 20.3 percent and Missouri third at 14.0 percent. Epenesa has previously taken unofficial visits to Miami, with his most recent visit being in March.