Listed measurements: 6-foot-7, 312 pounds
2023-24 year, eligibility: An incoming freshman, Jagusah has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.Depth Chart: Notre Dame knows who its starting tackles are, and it is rather flush in backup options led by senior Tosh Baker, so Jagusah will begin his Irish career with the scout team in 2023.
Recruiting: An All-American and the No. 13 offensive tackle in the class of 2023, per rivals.com, Jagusah turned down Michigan, Arkansas and Missouri when he chose Notre Dame. To hear the Illinois product — from right on the Iowa border — tell it, the choice came down to the Wolverines and the Irish.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a couple weeks, and I was really split between Michigan and Notre Dame,” Jagusah said to Inside ND Sports. “I thought about it and woke up one day and was like, ‘All right, I think I have it figured out.”
WHAT WAS SAID WHEN JAGUSAH SIGNED IN DECEMBER
“Jagusah’s wide stance, courtesy of that 6-foot-7 standing, puts defensive ends at a disadvantage even before the snap. His size should make him a tackle down the line. ...
“To pull directly from thoughts when Jagusah first committed to the Irish, ‘Jagusah is raw; this is where many young offensive linemen are compared to mounds of clay. It may be more precise to suggest Jagusah is like a block of marble, simply based on size. Either way, he will provide a future offensive line coach plenty to work with moving forward.’”
NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
It remains a bit of a surprise that high-school All-American games do not yet come with an appearance fee or some incentive to advertise for the game afterward. Simply enough, it is a lost opportunity.
In the meantime, Jagusah and fellow incoming freshman offensive lineman Sullivan Absher should look into a deal with Voodoo Doughnut in San Antonio. The third picture of this Instagram post is enough of a sales pitch to add it to this scribe’s wanted list. In confirming the spelling, yours truly just learned there are multiple locations in Denver, a city always among possible travel destinations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnN8Wl5s3f1/
QUOTES
Jagusah discussed the retirement of former Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand in an interview with Inside ND Sports last month. While Hiestand’s departure surprised the consensus four-star, the possibility always factored into Jagusah’s recruitment.
“It’s something me and my mom talked about when I was first considering committing to Notre Dame,” Jagusah said. “Where it’s like, staff changes are going to happen, especially with coaches who are getting up there in age. So I was surprised, but it’s not like I didn’t think it could be a possibility.
“But I think (head coach Marcus) Freeman just did a great job of finding coach (Joe) Rudolph. I met him a little bit when he was at Wisconsin. And I feel like we already have a pretty good relationship.”
2023 OUTLOOK
Jagusah underwent winter knee surgery to repair an injury suffered last season. That torn PCL and partial ACL sprain should not spark long-term concerns, but it will almost certainly limit Jagusah this summer and in the preseason.
If healthy and in any year that did not feature a preseason All-American at left tackle and the second freshman offensive lineman in Notre Dame history to start a season opener over at right tackle, then perhaps such buzz would accompany Jagusah’s arrival. He is that big and should be close to ready for the jump in competition before long.
But that “if” is not the present reality. Jagusah’s primary concern in 2023 needs to be simply getting back to full health. One timeline suggested to him would have him ready for consistent work in October, while another speculated mid-summer. Presume caution will be taken and the October thought thus has more credence.
DOWN THE ROAD
Once at full health, Jagusah can focus on building his strength and conditioning under weight-room coordinator Matt Balis. With Joe Alt a certain NFL departure after this season, Jagusah could compete with current senior Tosh Baker to replace him. At the least, pencil Jagusah into the two-deep next fall.
Many of those same thoughts can apply at right tackle, where Blake Fisher could play his way into the NFL draft this season. Even if he doesn’t, Jagusah’s profile should quickly put him on par with current sophomores Aamil Wagner and Ty Chan when Fisher presumably matriculates following the 2024 campaign.
A starting role is in Jagusah’s future, that much seems near-certain.
WHY No. 71?
Editor’s Note: The original version of this story was published before Notre Dame announced Jagusah will wear No. 56 this season. That version guessed at his jersey number.
Jagusah wore No. 74 in high school, but sophomore left guard Billy Schrauth owns those digits in South Bend. Proceed down the roster, and No. 71 pops up as available. Jagusah may end up in a different number, but until that is known, penciling him in here among plenty of offensive linemen fits this exercise.
2023 Notre Dame commits Armel Mukam and Charles Jagusah with 2024 running back target Aneyas Williams. pic.twitter.com/Y8f0qjnBIB
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) November 19, 2022
NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth