While the Notre Dame football team’s offensive line is expected to be among the best in the country, there’s still an open question as to whether Charles Jagusah will be among them in 2026. The offensive lineman - who might be the best of the bunch - suffered an offseason injury that he’s still recovering from. On Tuesday, head coach Marcus Freeman said the timeline on the player’s recovery is still unknown.
“He won't be ready to start the season, but can we get him to a point where he can help our team?” Freeman said in his first session with local media in three months. “That's the goal for everybody. Part of that will be just time and healing and strength. There is no timetable right now.”
“He's been through so much,” the Notre Dame head coach added. “Not even just through injuries. Family deaths, just a lot of stuff that weighs on a young person's mind. And he's handled it like an absolute champ.”
Among the things Jagusah has gone through is five different surgeries to get him better after a serious ATV accident. While the extent of his injuries was never made public specifically, at the time of the situation, it was clear that the recovery would be long. There’s always been a doubt, though a distant hope, that he could be back by the time fall camp rolls around. Now, that goal appears to have fallen by the wayside.
Notre Dame offensive lineman Charles Jagusah continues recovery after five surgeries
Freeman credited Jagusah’s strong support system, both at home and on campus, for keeping the big man upbeat despite everything that’s happened. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound talent made postseason starts for the Irish in the final games of the 2023 (Sun Bowl) and 2024 seasons, including the CFP national title game against Ohio State.
“It's nothing you wish for anybody you care about,” Freeman said of the player’s trying journey. “You don't wish they'd go through some of the things he's gone through, and he just continues to come here with a great attitude and go to work.
Once Jagusah is back and ready to go, he could start for Notre Dame at either guard or tackle. That’s one of the reasons why the Irish are hoping he could still play in 2026. He’ll be a massive asset whenever he can step on the field.
“When you're dealing with nerves … you keep working until you're at a point, but he will. At some point, Charles will play football. He will. I don't know when he's going to be on that football field, but I think he'll, at some point, hopefully sooner than later, be on the field.”
For now, Notre Dame is content to see that Charles Jagusah is progressing and keeping an upbeat attitude about the whole thing while he does.
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