The questions marks about Notre Dame's starting offensive tackles became even bigger Monday.
Notre Dame football announced Monday afternoon that sophomore Charles Jagusah, the projected starter at left tackle for the Irish, is expected to miss the 2024 season after tearing his right pectoralis (pec) muscle in his chest during Saturday's practice. Jagusah’s injury will require surgery before he starts his journey back to competition.
The 6-foot-7, 330-pound Jagusah started at left tackle in Notre Dame's 40-8 win over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29. He replaced unanimous All-America left tackle Joe Alt in the starting lineup after Alt chose to skip the bowl and enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Alt was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the fifth overall pick.
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The Irish are also replacing their starting right tackle from last season after Blake Fisher, who was selected in the second round by the Houston Texans, left Notre Dame's program after three seasons just like Alt. Junior Aamil Wagner has emerged as the starting right tackle early in preseason camp after Tosh Baker, a graduate senior, started at the position in the Sun Bowl.
Freshman Anthonie Knapp was taking the second-team left tackle reps during Notre Dame's first three preseason practices when reporters were in attendance. Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph will need to decide if moving one of Notre Dame’s right tackle options over to left tackle is better for the Irish starting line.
Wagner, at 6-6 and 290 pounds, would seemingly be a more natural fit at left tackle than Baker (6-8, 320) due to his quickness and athleticism. But Baker has more experience at the position. He started two games at left tackle in 2021 before suffering a concussion and eventually losing the starting role for good to Alt.
Baker spent the 2023 season as Alt’s backup at left tackle until the Sun Bowl. He even started the Ohio State game as an extra tackle/tight end. Baker, who played in 36 games the past four seasons, saw action in 11 games last season. He would need to make significant strides this year to meet the expectations he came to Notre Dame with as a four-star recruit out of Phoenix Pinnacle ranked by Rivals as the No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 137 overall in the 2020 class.
Wagner played in seven games last season as a backup right tackle behind Fisher and then Baker. He didn’t see any playing time as a freshman in 2022. He came to Notre Dame as a four-star recruit out of Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne ranked as the No. 12 offensive tackle and No. 126 overall in the 2022 class.
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Rivals didn’t like Knapp nearly as much as Baker and Wagner as high school recruits. Knapp, a product of Roswell (Ga.) High, was ranked as the No. 69 offensive tackle and rated as a three-star prospect. But Rudolph made Knapp at priority after being hired at Notre Dame. Rudolph previously recruited Knapp while coaching at Virginia Tech. Knapp started to earn his trust in the winter as an early enrollee by preparing to play either tackle position or center.
Two other wildcards could play a role in settling the tackle positions: sophomore Sullivan Absher and freshman Guerby Lambert. Rudolph liked Absher (6-7, 321) enough to slide him into the No. 2 left guard role and compete behind returning starters Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler, who are in an open competition that Absher could enter. Absher was a four-star recruit ranked by Rivals as the No. 29 offensive tackle in the 2023 class coming out of Belmont (N.C.) South Point.
Lambert already looks the part as a 6-7, 318-pound June enrollee. But Lambert, who Rivals ranked as the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 37 overall in the 2024 class out of West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial, should have the steepest hill to climb in terms of learning the playbook due to his summer arrival.
Jagusah only played in two games last season — the regular season finale at Stanford in addition to the Sun Bowl. He spent most of the year working on the scout offense as he rounded into playing shape following a February surgery to repair the PCL in his right knee. That injury forced Jagusah to sit out the All-American Bowl and not defend his title as a wrestling state champion for Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman. Rivals ranked Jagusah as the No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 167 overall in the 2023 class.
Walk-on defensive back Marty Auer, a senior, also suffered a major injury in Saturday’s practice. He’s also expected to miss the 2024 season due to a torn ACL in his left knee, which will require surgery.
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