SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame landed a commitment Saturday from four-star Roman Igwebuike, who became the first linebacker to join the 2027 Irish recruiting class, sitting at No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite rankings.All it took to get Igwebuike’s commitment was a coaching change, an extra early evaluation, two decommitments from other prospects, one five-star miss and a whole lot of patience. Igwebuike, who plays at Mount Carmel High School on the south side of Chicago but lives an hour away in Crown Point, Ind., might feel like an easy catch for Notre Dame, but his recruitment was anything but that.Notre Dame was among the last of the 46 programs that offered a spot to the 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker. A year ago, Igwebuike thought about committing to Tennessee. And then Clemson comfortably led, even after Igwebuike attended Notre Dame’s game against Boise State last October. It wasn’t until his official visit to Notre Dame this summer that the Irish pulled clear of the competition.“They were one of my last offers, but they had always been talking to me since like one of the first,” Igwebuike said. “It wasn’t really a big deal that they offered me late because they were still one of a few teams who were interested in me early, so I took that as appreciated, but just really wanted to see me in person and get me on campus.”Notre Dame’s ties to Igwebuike actually began when Irish linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary was still on staff at Michigan. The Wolverines weren’t a match for Igwebuike, but he liked what he heard from the veteran assistant, who had been among the first coaches to reach out.The Irish liked Igwebuike, too, with former linebacker coach Max Bullough giving chase. But Notre Dame had two early 2027 linebacker commitments crowding Igwebuike out. Ellis McGaskin was among the first commitments in the class but flipped to Florida earlier this year. Amarri Irvin took another spot, but he flipped to Virginia Tech this summer. (McGaskin is ranked as the No. 28 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite, while Irvin is slotted at No. 26. Igwebuike is ranked No. 9.)