Wake Forest defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Wake Forest defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Ibirogba just wrapped up his redshirt junior season, meaning he is expected to have one year of eligibility remaining. A big-time addition to the portal in what is the beginning of a crazy cycle.

On3 viewed Ibirogba as one of the top players in the sport entering the season. He ranked at No. 184 overall per the On3 College Rankings and the No. 12 defensive lineman. Certainly a valuable piece for Wake Forest throughout the year, somebody else will be thrilled to get Ibirogba’s production.

In 12 games, Ibirogba recorded 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss. He added two sacks and had three quarterback hurries when rushing the passer. You even find a blocked kick in the Nov. 15 showdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

This will wind up being the third stop for Ibirogba over five seasons. His career began at the FCS level, playing for the Georgetown Hoyas. Ibirogba transferred to Wake Forest but wound up taking his redshirt by only participating in four games.

Finding defensive linemen with quality power conference experience is tough to do. Ibirogba is certainly going to be a popular name until he finds his 2026 home.

More on Wake Forest, 2025 season

Wake Forest put together another great season, finishing 8-4. A quality bowl game is on the way too, traveling not too far to Charlotte for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Opt outs across the country led to questions as to who the opponent might be, eventually landing on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

All four losses for Wake Forest did come during ACC play. This includes the season finale against the Duke Blue Devils, helping Manny Diaz‘s program get into the conference championship game. Of course, Duke wound up taking home the title and causing some chaos in the College Football Playoff.

Not too much pushback came during the nonconference portion of the schedule. Three comfortable wins took place. Kennesaw State did provide a bit of a scare in the season opener, as the scoreline finished 10-9.

Winning the Duke’s Mayo Bowl would bring the win total to nine. That would be a first since 2021, when 11 wins tied the program record. A big opportunity is ahead, hoping to close out a successful campaign with a result to remember.