Last confirmed: Iowa, 2019. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′6″ · 280 lb · Glen Carbon, IL · Edwardsville
A.J. Epenesa: DE · Iowa · #94.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
A.J. Epenesa
Bull-rushes through contact at the point of attack. He has spent three seasons in the Iowa defensive front. A game that shows it: 5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Illinois — Week 13, 2019.
Play style
Bull-rushes through contact, winning with size and length at the point of attack.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
49 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 15 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
The Des Moines Register Oct 15Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Miami (OH) | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | 2.5 sacks |
| Wk 2 | W 30-0vs Rutgers | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 18-17@ Iowa State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 48-3vs Middle Tennessee | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | L 3-10@ No. 19 Michigan | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 12-17vs No. 10 Penn State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 26-20vs Purdue | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 20-0@ Northwestern | 5 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 22-24@ No. 16 Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 23-19vs No. 7 Minnesota | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 sacks |
| Wk 13 | W 19-10vs Illinois | 5 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 27-24@ Nebraska | 14 | 9 | 5.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 14 tackles |
 Bowl | W 49-24vs No. 22 USC | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 32 | 15.0 | 11.5 | — | 3 |
Week 14 · 2019
W 27-24
at Nebraska
2 sacks · 5 tackles for loss · 14 tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
23%12 sacksTFL rate
31%15 TFLHurry rate
18%9 hurriesPressure-to-sack conversion
56%12 of 20 pressures49 tackles · 15 for loss · 11.5 sacks.
3 seasons under Kirk Ferentz — 27-12 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Road5g | 4.6 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirk Ferentz
Pass share
48.0%
410 pass / 444 run
Plays / game
65.7
13 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
444 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2019
49 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
How it ended
Three seasons at Iowa, 26 sacks — drafted at #54 overall by the Buffalo Bills.
His career
He has a stat line in 37 games over 3 seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2017–2019
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Kirk Ferentz.
Where he ended up · NFL
Buffalo BillsEntering 7th NFL season
Buffalo BillsEntering 7th NFL season
