Top 4 transfer portal landing spots for Wake Forest DL Mateen Ibirogba

Mateen Ibirogba has already been on a fascinating football journey.

He was almost completely overlooked out of high school in Maryland, started his college football career at FCS-level Georgetown, blossomed in two years at Wake Forest and is now a coveted target in the transfer portal.

A 6-foot-3, 296-pound defensive tackle, Ibirogba had 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick this year.

Raw numbers don't always tell the full story for interior defensive linemen, but Ibirogba made quite an impression on film.

He is ranked the No. 17 overall player in the portal and top interior defensive lineman by On3.

On3 and 247Sports report that Ibirogba has scheduled visits to Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas Tech.

Here's a closer look at those potential landing spots and which makes the most sense.

1. Texas Tech

This makes all the sense. Texas Tech's run to the College Football Playoff this year was driven largely by its substantial investment in building one of the best defensive lines in the country. It was reported the Red Raiders spent more than $7 million in the transfer portal on that unit alone.

But it could be starting over entirely there, pending upcoming NFL draft decisions. At defensive tackle, AP second-team All-America selection Lee Hunter is out of eligibility, while fellow standout A.J. Holmes Jr. has a draft decision to make.

On3 reports Ibirogba could command a $1 million NIL payday from his next school, and Texas Tech can certainly afford to foot the bill.

The Red Raiders are indeed viewed as the early favorite here.

2. Notre Dame

Notre Dame is losing starting defensive tackle Jason Onye, so there's an obvious spot for Ibirogba to step right into next fall.

Also, the Fighting Irish are looking to go scorched Earth on college football after getting snubbed from the playoffs this year, and shoring up a major need in the trenches is a logical priority for the program.

Notre Dame would also provide a prime spotlight for Ibirogba to boost his NFL draft stock in his final college season.

3. Georgia Tech

Ibirogba already knows the ACC, and it knows him. It's not surprising that another team within the conference is among the leading suitors to poach him from the portal.

The Yellow Jackets are a program on the rise under coach Brent Key after winning nine games this season, but they need to prioritize upgrading a defense that ranked tied for 93rd nationally in yards allowed (399.2 per game).

A run-stuffing defensive tackle who also flashes the ability to put pressure on the quarterback would be a nice asset for the unit.

4. Tennessee

The same could be said about Tennessee, which ranked just one spot ahead of Georgia Tech in the national defensive rankings.

Josh Heupel can be counted on to routinely build high-upside offenses, but until the Vols figure out a defense that gave up 28.8 points per game (tied for 91st nationally) this season, they're going to have trouble getting back to the CFP.

Hiring former Penn State and Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was a step in that direction, and now the Vols are looking to build a defense that suits his style and vision. Ibirogba is considered a priority piece to that puzzle.