There hasn’t been much of a Catholic League-to-South Bend pipeline in recent years, but that might be changing.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman added his second elite recruit from the Chicago area when Mount Carmel linebacker Roman Igwebuike announced his commitment live on 247Sports’ YouTube channel last week.
Igwebuike, who had more than 50 scholarship offers, is a four-star prospect who is No. 9
in Illinois in the 2027 cycle, No. 10 nationally among linebackers and No. 152 in 247Sports’ composite rankings. He joins St. Patrick defensive lineman David Folorunsho, the No. 2 rising senior in the state, in the Irish’s 2027 class.
Why did Igwebuike pick Notre Dame over Clemson, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee, which were his other finalists?
‘‘I went on three visits; my official visit was the best,’’ he said on the commitment video. ‘‘It felt right, everything about it — the program, the way they take care of their players on and off the field.’’
He also likes that Freeman played linebacker at Ohio State and has shown an ability to develop players at that position.
National recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove sees it as a good fit for the 6-3, 220-pound
Igwebuike and for the Irish.
‘‘He grew into his frame,’’ Cosgrove told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Those young guys, sometimes they seem like baby giraffes when they’re growing into their frame.’’
Igwebuike had a team-best 115 tackles during the Caravan’s unbeaten run to the Class 8A title last fall. He also had 13½ tackles for loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
‘‘An exceptional run defender,’’ according to Cosgrove, Igwebuike also can make plays in the passing game.
‘‘[He has] the ability to play sideline to sideline [and is] very versatile,’’ Cosgrove said. ‘‘He can fit into any defense.’’
Igwebuike is the fifth Mount Carmel prospect in the 2027 cycle to make a Power Four commitment. The others are wide receiver Quentin Burrell and cornerback Tavares Harrington, both of whom picked Michigan; edge rusher Darin Graham (Wisconsin); and offensive tackle Chase Clark (Purdue).
And Igwebuike’s decision leaves only one uncommitted prospect among the top 20 in the state: Brother Rice four-star defensive lineman Brayden Parks.
Public League update
The Public League has realigned its conferences, shrinking the top-tier Red from 16 to 12 and rebranding the upper-tier White as a second Red tier.
One top Red conference will feature King, Morgan Park, Payton, Phillips, Simeon and Taft. The other will feature Amundsen, Bulls Prep, Kenwood, Lane, Lincoln Park and Young.
In a new wrinkle this year, the top Red conference winners will play in Week 9 to determine the Public League regular-season champion.
Westinghouse, Brooks, Clark and Johnson will move down from the top-tier Red to the second-tier Red.
The second-tier Red and the White each will have four six-team conferences. The rest of the teams will be in three Blue conferences.
Caravan on ESPN
Mount Carmel’s Week 2 home game Aug. 28 against St. Joseph Regional from Montvale, New Jersey, will be broadcast on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. St. Joseph went 10-2 and won a private-school state title last season.