The writing is on the wall for Tennessee after four-star defender makes a drastic last minute decision
The Vols won’t end up hosting an intriguing linebacker prospect over the weekend.
Tennessee has gotten some momentum going lately on the recruiting trail, as Josh Heupel and his staff work to build their 2027 class. The Vols have landed a number of commitments this month, and one of the notable gets was four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, son of former Tennessee linebacker Ken Simon.
Still, the Vols have been pushing to add to that linebacker room for this class, and that included four-star Chicago (Mount Carmel) prospect Roman Igwebuike, who was set to visit Knoxville over the weekend on an official visit.
As it turns out, that’s apparently not going to happen. Per Rivals’ Aaron Dickens, Igwebuike has canceled his trip to Tennessee.
4-star LB Roman Igwebuike cancels weekend visit to Tennessee
Igwebuike is a consensus top 200 player, ranking No. 147 in Rivals’ industry rankings, as well as the No. 13 linebacker and No. 8 player in the state of Illinois for the 2027 cycle. He holds offers from Notre Dame, Tennessee, Clemson, Indiana, Texas, Oregon, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Ole Miss, and many others.
And it’s the nearby Irish who appear to have the upper hand here. Igwebuike, who is set to make a decision on June 25, has already seen the Irish up close, and per Dickens, Notre Dame is the team that’s separating itself at this point. He visited South Bend last weekend, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the recent events mean for Tennessee at this point. That’s particularly the case since Igwebuike hasn’t visited Tennessee either officially or unofficially.
Such is life in recruiting. And just like on the active roster, the same motto applies in the recruiting world: next man up.