Charles Jagusah admits he is still limited after surgery

Offensive lineman Charles Jagusah was one of the top recruits for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their 2023 recruiting class. Unfortunately, he hasn’t spent much time on the field with the rest of his Fighting Irish teammates as he is recovering from knee surgery to repair an injury he suffered at the end of his high school senior season.

As the start of the 2023 season draws nearer, the question is how close Jagusah is to returning to the field of play and possibly playing in his freshman season. According to the true freshmen, he is progressing but is limited in what he can do right now.

“It’s getting there. I’m only like five months out from surgery, so it’s going to take some time. But I’m limited right now; I’m just kind of getting back into it,” said Jagusah at Notre Dame’s fall football press conference.

Jagusah played his high school football at Alleman High School in Rock Island, IL. It was there that he became one of the nation’s top recruits in the 2023 recruiting class at both offensive tackle. According to On3’s Industry Rankings, Jagusah was a top-end four-star recruit, ranking No. 53 overall in the nation, No. 6 at offensive tackle, and was the top player to come out of the state of Illinois.

Jagusah is now participating in practice, but as he mentioned above, in a limited capacity. The Fighting Irish would love to have his 6-foot-6, 300-pound frame on the field during their fall camp, 100 percent healthy and developing the skills needed to be an elite blocker for them for seasons to come. Unfortunately, he’s still on the mend, and it looks like it might be some time until he can join his Notre Dame brethren on the field.

Marcus Freeman says Notre Dame hit a home run with Sam Hartman

If Jagusah is able to play in 2023, the individual who will be responsible for protecting is quarterback Sam Hartman. Hartman landed in South Bend, IN, this offseason after transferring in from Wake Forest. Since his arrival, the new fighting Irish quarterback has garnered the admiration of his teammates and especially head coach Marcus Freeman. So much so that Freeman recently stated that Notre Dame hit a home run by landing the transfer quarterback.

“Well, I think that’s one of the main points we made. When Sam Hartman got into the portal we said, ‘Hey, we are gonna look for the best quarterback available that can help us win, that fits our locker room, and fits our team and our university.’ Sam did that, number one, as a person,” Freeman said.

“He was the type of person we needed in our locker room, but two, the ability to sell him on, ‘Hey, man, this is a pro-style type offense. This is something that will help you as you transition to the NFL, but also, you know, this is a program that’s going to compete for national championships. That’s our goal, and we want you a part of this thing.’ And so it was a perfect fit.”