Notre Dame’s rebuilding offensive line suffered a significant blow over the weekend when left tackle Charles Jagusah was lost for the season with a torn right pectoral muscle. The sophomore underwent an MRI and received the results Monday, confirming the season-ending prognosis.
Jagusah played just 73 snaps last year, the majority in the Sun Bowl when he started to close out his freshman season. But Notre Dame’s coaching staff was high on the former blue-chip prospect’s development heading into this fall, so much so that there was no competition at left tackle, even as Tosh Baker and Aamil Wagner competed for the open right tackle job.
“O-line wise, I like both the young tackles,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock told The Athletic last week. “Charles has a chance to be really good. Aamil Wagner had a good spring. He’s got to continue to come along, but he did a really nice job in the spring.”
During practice on Saturday, Aug 3, OL Charles Jagusah injured his shoulder, tearing his right pectoralis muscle, & DB/special teams player Marty Auer injured his left knee, tearing his ACL. Surgery is upcoming for both Jagusah & Auer, & both are expected to miss the 2024 season.
— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) August 5, 2024
Notre Dame’s offensive line, which was already facing massive turnover after last season’s departures of Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, may be forced to go back to Baker at left tackle while keeping Wagner on the right side. Neither has started a game at either position, problematic in all circumstances, but particularly in a season that opens at Texas A&M, a defense built around a strong pass rush and fueled by Kyle Field’s capacity of more than 100,000.
The interior line will feature center Ashton Craig and right guard Billy Schrauth, with Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan in competition for the left guard position.
Jagusah was viewed as a potential star along the line, dating back to his recruitment when he chose Notre Dame over Michigan while also winning a state championship as a heavyweight wrestler at Alleman in Rock Island, Ill. A lower-body injury suffered during his senior year wiped out his final wrestling season and set Jagusah back as he enrolled at Notre Dame.
However, after laboring through some of the early days of last season, Jagusah rediscovered the former by November that made him a top-100 prospect all along. The Irish were hopeful that potential would come out this season, starting in College Station. Now, Notre Dame will be forced to rebuild its offensive line in a new way.
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(Photo: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)
