Hawkeyes land Rivals100 DE A.J. Epenesa

Iowa already had a strong start to their 2017 class going with four in-state commitments on the books, but their biggest commitment of the class came through on Sunday when Rivals100 defensive end A.J. Epenesa announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes.

WHAT THIS MEANS: Epenesa is a legacy recruit for the Hawkeyes - his father Eppy played for the program in the 1990's - but that does not lessen the impact this commitment will have on their 2017 class. A.J. had accumulated more than 20 scholarship offers from some of the top programs around the country. Oklahoma, in particular, had made a strong push for the four-star defensive end and looked to be major competition before the commitment occurred.

IN HIS WORDS: "It has been a long and hard road, but this morning my family and I have come together with all of the coaches and told them I am committing to the University of Iowa," Epenesa said on Twitter. "It's a great day to be a Hawkeye!"

RIVALS REACTION: Epenesa is ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the class of 2017 and the No. 1 strongside defensive end. At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds he has great size for the position, but also brings outstanding athleticism. He showed us all the tools to be a dominant strongside end very early in his career and is developing the understanding of how to utilize those physical gifts. The early commitment gives him the opportunity to focus fully on his development this off-season and realize his potential while also helping Iowa build a strong 2017 class.