By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – My first intention with this column was to focus on sophomore defensive end A.J. Epenesa because he seems almost too good to be true.

A five-star talent with a two-star mentality and a Hawkeye heritage that dates back to when his father played for former Iowa coach Hayden Fry, A.J. Epenesa is certainly an intriguing story by himself.

But then I thought about his fellow defensive ends on the Iowa football team and was reminded that Parker Hesse, Anthony Nelson and Sam Brincks also have intriguing stories to tell about their rise as a Hawkeye.

Defensive end is arguably the deepest and most talented position on the Iowa football team, although, Noah Fant and the tight ends might have something to say about that.

But two things seem certain: Iowa is loaded at two critical positions and A.J. Epenesa is in the perfect place because he would rather share the spotlight than bask in it.

Epenesa was interviewed by the media for the first time as a Hawkeye at media day last Friday, and he focused mostly on the defensive ends as a group and on how Hesse and the older players have helped him adjust to the college game.

“I’ve got a lot of things to learn, I’ve got a lot of room to grow and I’ve got a lot of good people who are helping me,” Epenesa said.

Epenesa is right in all three respects in that he does have a lot to learn and room to grow and is surrounded not only by good people, but also by good players at his position.

Hesse and Nelson are so good that they’re both still listed as starters despite Epenesa’s presence, and you can understand why.

Hesse finished second on the team last season behind All-America linebacker Josey Jewell with 10 ½ tackles for loss, while Nelson led the team with 7 ½ sacks and made third-team All-Big Ten.

Hesse has started 33 games for Iowa and has shown a knack for making big plays throughout his career, including last season when he had a key interception in the 44-41 victory at Iowa State.

But Hesse isn’t nearly as imposing as the 6-foot-5, 277-pound Epenesa, nor was he a five-star recruit who turned down virtually every elite program in the country in order to follow in his father’s footsteps at Iowa. It is easy to be enamored with Epenesa’s story and his immense talent because they’re both real and rare.

But it’s also easy to under-appreciate what the 6-3, 261-pound Hesse brings to the team, and that was apparent when Iowa released its spring depth chart and Hesee still was listed as the starter over Epenesa at right defensive end.

Some fans voiced their displeasure on social media and that caused Epenesa’s father to defend Hesse on Facebook.

Eppy Epenesa said his son still has a lot to learn and he told fans to be patient and to support Hesse because Hesse is a good player from a great family, a good teammate and is good to his son.

It was a powerful message that helps to explain why A.J. Epenesa is so humble and a team-first guy.

“My dad knows how college football works and this and that and how depth charts and all this stuff go along,” A.J. Epenesa said. “He came out and said there really is no reason to get your head into all that or butt your nose in when it’s really not a big deal because Parker Hesse is obviously a great football player.

“And to have him around I feel is an honor for me because he’s done well for so long and this is his fourth year playing. And to learn from him I think is just a great experience.”

Hesse appreciated Eppy Epenesa’s support on Facebook and he sees a lot of similarities between father and son.

“I’m not too into social media a whole lot, but somebody did show me that,” Hesse said. “I was really impressed with his attitude towards it, and obviously, that comes out in A.J.

“A.J. is a great guy as well. And you can definitely see that with the way he was raised, his family, that’s the type of person A.J. is, too.”

Though he was only a two-star recruit coming out of high school is part of what makes Hesse’s story interesting. He was the opposite of A.J. Epenesa in that it was Iowa or bust when it came to scholarship offers from major schools.

Hesse also played quarterback and linebacker in high school, so his ascent as an undersized defensive end speaks to Iowa’s ability to identify and develop hidden talent.

“I think that was one of the major draws in terms of me being recruited here,” Hesse said. “I knew the tradition of it being a developmental program and when I met everyone on the coaching staff and the strength staff as well, I knew that if I wanted to maximize my potential as a football player, the best place for me to go would be Iowa.

“Obviously, I’ve changed positions and had to gain a lot of weight. But at no point did I ever second-guess what the coaching staff was doing. They’ve been doing it for a long time and they found a place for me to contribute to help the team. They knew what they were doing and they helped every step of the way.”

Nelson did the same as A.J. Epenesa in that he also followed in his father’s footsteps by attending Iowa. Nelson is the son of former Iowa defensive lineman Jeff Nelson, who played for Hayden Fry from 1990-92.

Anthony Nelson speaks softly and shows little emotion, but don’t let that fool you. He plays with lots of emotion and is relentless, using his 6-7 frame to be disruptive.

And then there is Sam Brincks, the only walk-on among the four defensive ends, but that is part of his charm because it shows how far Brincks has come as a Hawkeye.

Brincks just wants to help the team win and that could mean playing defensive tackle, at least in the season opener against Northern Illinois in order to make up for the loss of defensive tackles Cedrick Lattimore and Brady Reiff, both of whom are suspended for the season opener.

Brincks worked his way up the depth to where he was a reliable backup last season.

Sophomore Chauncey Golston is another defensive lineman who appears on the rise. He was recruited out of Detroit as a defensive end, but has switched inside to tackle and is now on the depth chart.

Healthy competition is always a good thing and Iowa appears to have plenty of that on the defensive line, especially at defensive end where the current group of players are special with regard to their talent and their willigness to put team goals first. 

"My knowledge of football I think is greater and that’s due to the guys at my position helping me out every day and telling me this formation and the only plays they can run out of this or this,” A.J. Epenesa said. “They kind of help push me along and kind of force feed all of those things into my head to help me learn more and to be a better overall football player.”

That just reinforces what his father said on Facebook in that A.J. Epenesa is in a healthy environment at Iowa and has been in a healthy environment since the day he was born, due largely to his family’s influence.

Eppy Epenesa is Polynesian and with that heritage comes pride and humility. He left his native island to play college football in the 1990s, first for Iowa Wesleyan and then Iowa.

Eppy is a proud example of once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye, and now his son is carrying on that legacy as a potential star in the making.

A.J. Epenesa led Iowa with eight quarterback hurries last season as a true freshman in limited playing time.

He is quite a story by himself, but even a better story when you include the other standout defensive ends.