Charles Jagusah Is Getting Healthy And Ready to Thrive At Notre Dame
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There is a good argument to be made that Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman offensive tackle Charles Jagusah was the biggest prize of the 2023 Notre Dame recruiting class. He was arguably the top offensive tackle in the nation, boasting an exciting level of talent.
On June 9th, Jagusah is set to officially enroll at Notre Dame. He unfortunately has been sidelined for several months while recovering from a knee injury he suffered during his senior season. That particular injury cost him a chance to compete at the 2023 All-American Bowl in January.
Now the Illinois star is on the mend. He is getting closer and closer to returning to full action and getting back to his old self.
"Everything has been going well,” Jagusah told Irish Breakdown. "The last six weeks have really been about ramping up the rehab. I’m cleared to do jogging and jumping. In about three to four weeks, I’ll be fully cleared to start running.”
Of course things have changed a bit since Jagusah signed with the Fighting Irish. The program said goodbye to offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, who retired in the offseason. The legendary line coach was replaced by Joe Rudolph, who actually offered Jagusah while he was at Wisconsin. Jagusah actually visited the Badgers for a game in 2021 when Rudolph was the line coach and offensive coordinator.
The pair continue to develop a connection.
"The relationships have been building steadily,” Jagusah explained. "I’ve gotten the chance to get to know Coach Rudolph a lot more. I’m excited to get to dive more into his style and everything he teaches.
"I got the chance to get to know him a little bit when he was at Wisconsin,” he added. "They were recruiting me so there’s some familiarity there. He really preaches the fundamentals. The core values are all very similar to Coach Hiestand, just the process to get there is a little different.”
While Jagusah has yet to enroll and experience what it's like being a Notre Dame offensive lineman, early enrollee and classmate Sam Pendleton has provided his fellow signees with a little insight. It’s just a small taste of what to expect.
"Yes he’s told us a little bit,” he said. "Just to be ready for .... some really hard stuff. I think we’re just all excited to get up there right now.”
There are high expectations for Jagusah, despite offensive lineman typically having a longer developmental window. Add in the knee injury and early expectations should probably be tempered, but Jagusah is just too talented not to at least ponder his ability to make an immediate impact.
For Jagusah, he plans to be ready for whatever the staff asks of him.
"It’s really hard to judge just because of my knee,” Jagusah stated. "For me, if I can get to a level where I can be put into a game if needed, that’s a good start. I need to get myself back to full strength and then I’ll evaluate expectations.”
Whatever role Jagusah eventually earns, the end goal remains exactly the same. The 2023 holds one common goal as a class, and it’s one that should push the Irish program to even higher heights.
"Our mindset is that we’re going to add on to what we saw last year and help fix the mistakes they had,” said Jagusah. “I’m just ready to play and contribute in any way I can.”
Despite that aforementioned knee injury, Jagusah put together a fantastic senior season. The recruiting rankings, for the most part, matches that effort. Jagusah ended the cycle as a near consensus top 100 national recruit by every major recruiting platform. He ranked highest on On3, who had him pegged as a five-star recruit and the No. 25 overall player in the class.
Jagusah also boasted an elite offer list. Some of the notable programs who had offered the Illinois native included the Fighting Irish, Michigan, LSU, Oklahoma, Auburn, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri and Vanderbilt among others.
The 6-6, 325-pound offensive tackle was also a standout on the wrestling mat for Alleman. As a junior, he finished undefeated with a 41-0 record and won the state championship as a heavyweight. Unfortunately he was not able to defend his title while recovering from the knee injury.
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