No. 1 LB in Illinois, Roman Igwebuike, Announces Top 5 College Football Programs

One of the top linebackers in college football has narrowed his list down from 45.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheerleaders react. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

One of the best college football prospects in the Prairie State has somehow narrowed his list of finalists down ahead of his senior season.

Four-star linebacker Roman Igwebuike, out of Chicago, Illinois, has accumulated 45 offers. Notable programs such as Ohio State, USC, Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma have all offered him, but the Mount Carmel product is now one step closer to selecting where he will be playing.

Who are his top five?

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the Blue-Gold spring game. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Starting off with one of the most historic programs in college football and the favorite to land him according to On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are front and center in his recruitment. He is set to visit South Bend on June 12, per On3, and will surely be spending plenty of time with defensive-minded head coach Marcus Freeman.

There are two SEC schools in the mix here in the Missouri and the Tennessee, with Igwebuike expected to visit the Tigers on June 5 before making the trip to Knoxville on June 19.

The other two programs featured in the top five are the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Clemson Tigers. Curt Cignetti and company will be getting the first of the five visits, as Igwebuike will be in Bloomington to visit the defending national champions on May 16. Dabo Swinney's Clemson program will be getting the second visit, as he will take a trip to Death Valley on May 29.

Although the Fighting Irish are viewed as the favorites to land him, it isn't by much. The Recruiting Prediction Machine gives them a 22.4% chance of landing him, while Tennessee currently has the second-best chances at 16.4%.

At 6-foot-3 and around 225 pounds, Igwebuike will provide whatever program that lands him a college-ready product in terms of size. There is certainly room for muscle to be added, but it's rare that a high school junior has that size.

As he revealed in his interview with On3, money is not the top priority for him, as the Windy City native cited the importance of how his college football experience will set him up for life after football. So, with this clearly hinting at academics and overall prestige, it's hard not to tab Notre Dame as a the front runner.

The private institution is renowned for being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and it easily offers him the best of both worlds. There's still plenty of time for other schools to make a case, but the RPM favoring Notre Dame makes sense.