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Sources: Transfer Mateen Ibirogba commits to Texas Tech

Wake Forest transfer Mateen Ibirogba committed to Texas Tech, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Ibirogba, the top defensive player and No. 5 overall in ESPN's transfer portal rankings, is joining the Red Raiders for his final season of eligibility and will help one of the top defensive lines in college football reload in 2026.

He began his career at FCS Georgetown, where he was a two-year starter, before transferring to Wake Forest in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 296-pound redshirt junior recorded 21 tackles, 19 pressures, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks this season for the Demon Deacons.

Texas Tech signed the No. 1 player in ESPN's portal rankings, Cincinnati transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, on Sunday and continues to add commitments along the defensive line after starters David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter and Skyler Gill-Howard moved on to the NFL draft.

Ibirogba joins transfer defensive linemen Trey White (San Diego State), Julien Laventure (Akron), Bryce Butler (Washington), Jojo Johnson (Oregon State) and Amarie Fleming (Allen University) in committing to play for the Red Raiders. White is the No. 13 player in ESPN's transfer rankings.

Texas Tech leads FBS in defensive pressures (250) and ranks among the top 10 nationally in sacks (41) and tackles for loss (105) this season, according to ESPN Research, with Bailey earning unanimous All-America honors along with linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.

The Red Raiders have secured 11 transfer commitments since their 12-2 season ended with a 23-0 loss to Oregon in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.