Recruiting News and Notes: Edwardsville's AJ Epenesa visits Missouri

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AJ Epenesa (DE), Edwardsville

The junior four-star defensive end made an unofficial gameday visit to Missouri.

"It was exciting," Epenesa told Rivals.com's Brian Austin. "I was really looking forward to going to check out Mizzou and see what they're all about on game day. It was fun being there. The fans were definitely loud and crazy. It was fun to be around. They're a good team, but they had a rough game. Other then the loss it was a really enjoyable visit. I had a good time."

Epenesa (6-foot-5, 255 pounds), the 23rd ranked player in the nation according to Rivals.com's Class of 2017 Top 100 recruit rankings, has 20 scholarship offers so far. 

Jake Marwede (TE), Loyola

The junior tight end was able to add his first offer from Central Michigan last week.

"It's pretty exciting," Marwede said. "I went to a Central Michigan satellite camp last summer in Paw Paw and I was able to get to know the coaches a bit better. I felt I had a pretty good camp and I've been staying in touch with the CMU coaches ever since. I haven't had a chance to make it on campus just yet but I'm planning to visit Central Michigan soon."

Marwede is also drawing recruiting interest from the likes of Penn State, Michigan, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

[MORE PREPS: CSN Preps Power Rankings - Week 9]

Matt Norton (TE), Stevenson

Norton (6-foot-6, 235 pounds) was beginning to draw more recruiting looks from DI level colleges this fall, but decided to accept a roster spot invite from Penn last week.

"I just loved it at Penn on my visit," the senior tight end said. "It's more of an urban campus in Philadelphia and it's exactly what I was looking for in a school. I was able to get to know the coaches and the players and everyone was great. I'm planning to to major in business and Penn offers a world class education and an amazing business program. I narrowed it down to Penn or Princeton and in the end it was just the feeling I had at Penn that sealed it for me."

Justin Blake (QB), Montini

One Class of 2016 name to keep an eye on from a recruiting standpoint is Blake (6-foot-0, 180 pounds). Blake, who is playing quarterback for the Broncos this season, has amassed nearly 2,000 yards of total offense heading into this week's game at Marmion Academy.

"I'm still staying in touch with the coaches from NIU, Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Western Michigan and Toledo," Blake said. "I was able to go visit NIU, along with Western Illinois already, and I'm trying to find a way to get down to Eastern Illinois soon. The coaches either call or text me once a week and I also keep sending them my updated film each week."

Blake, who played wide receiver last season, is also a high-level caliber athlete who could draw offers at various positions at the college level.

Under Armour All-American Game Fan Vote

Both Lake Park senior defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk (Michigan State) and Nazareth Academy senior defensive back Julian Love (Notre Dame) need your vote. Panasiuk and Love have been added to the Under Armour All-American Game first ever fan vote. The fans will decide the final two roster spots in the Under Armour All-American Game held on Jan. 2 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl televised live on ESPN2. Round 1 voting is underway and you can cast your votes here.

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