IOWA FOOTBALL

Iowa recruit A.J. Epenesa smashes Illinois state meet discus record

Andy Hamilton

ahamilton@dmreg.com

Special to the Register/Epenesa family
A.J. Epenesa (99), pictured with his family and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, committed to the Hawkeyes.
A.J. Epenesa (99), pictured with his family and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, committed Sunday to the Hawkeyes in January.

The crown jewel of Iowa’s 2017 football recruiting class now has another title: Illinois track and field state meet record-holder.

Edwardsville High School’s A.J. Epenesa posted the longest discus throw in the history of the Illinois state meet on Friday with a toss of 205 feet, 11 inches.

The coveted defensive end prospect had been on top of the national discus leaderboard earlier this spring when he uncorked a throw of 206-5 on April 23. That mark was topped earlier this month by North Carolina’s Terrell Adams with a throw of 213-9.

Epenesa committed to the Hawkeyes in January after collecting more than two dozen scholarship offers from Power Five programs across the country, including Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC. He’s currently ranked the No. 4 overall prospect nationally and the top defensive end in the country by 247 Sports.