Notre Dame Faces Major Offensive Line Questions After Charles Jagusah Injury Forces Strategic Adjustments Ahead of 2025 Season Opener
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are facing a significant challenge as they prepare for the 2025 college football season following the news that offensive lineman Charles Jagusah will be sidelined indefinitely due to injury. Jagusah, expected to play a pivotal role up front, was projected to anchor the offensive line and provide much-needed experience and physicality in the trenches. His absence forces Notre Dame into an uncomfortable position: recalibrate an already evolving offensive front without one of its most reliable and talented pieces.
The offensive line has long been a hallmark of Notre Dame football. From All-Americans to NFL mainstays, the program prides itself on physicality, technical precision, and a unit-wide chemistry that sets the tone for the rest of the offense. Losing someone like Jagusah disrupts not only the personnel balance but also the cohesion of a group that had been working together throughout spring and summer conditioning with expectations of building on their recent success.
Jagusah’s importance to the unit can’t be overstated. At 6-foot-6 and over 320 pounds, he combines size, strength, and athleticism in a way few others on the roster do. He was widely seen as a future team captain—a vocal leader and technician who could slide into multiple positions depending on matchups. Whether lining up at left tackle, guard, or even taking occasional snaps at center in practice, Jagusah had become the player the coaching staff relied on to stabilize the line.
With his injury—an unspecified lower-body issue that will likely keep him out for at least the first half of the season—Notre Dame must now explore several contingency plans. The first and most immediate concern is replacing him physically on the field. That likely means reshuffling the starting five and elevating a less experienced player into a more prominent role. But it’s not just about plug-and-play; it’s about rebuilding chemistry and trust.
There are a few viable options to fill Jagusah’s void. One of the most likely candidates is rising junior Aamil Wagner. Wagner, a high-upside player with long arms and quick feet, has been developing steadily behind the scenes. While he’s not yet as polished as Jagusah, his athletic profile and comfort at left tackle could make him a natural fit. If Wagner starts, Notre Dame may keep the rest of the line intact to minimize further disruption.
Another candidate is sophomore Elijah Paige, a talented but raw lineman who saw limited action last season. Paige impressed in spring camp, and while the staff might have preferred to bring him along more gradually, the urgency of Jagusah’s absence could fast-track his development. He has the frame and agility to handle elite edge rushers, but his inexperience at the college level raises some concerns in early-season matchups against aggressive defensive fronts.
Alternatively, the coaching staff could consider moving veteran right tackle Blake Fisher to the left side, where he has some experience. This would allow a younger player like Monroe Freeling to step in at right tackle. While this creates ripple effects, it would keep Notre Dame’s best lineman (Fisher) protecting the blind side and allow the Irish to take advantage of Fisher’s leadership and awareness. However, moving multiple players across the line can sometimes create more instability than it solves.
Regardless of which player steps into Jagusah’s role, Notre Dame’s offensive scheme will have to adjust. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, returning to South Bend in 2025 with a renewed vision for a physical, balanced attack, now must consider how to structure protections and run schemes to accommodate the reshaped front. Expect the Irish to lean more heavily on quick passing concepts early in the season, especially if they open against an aggressive pass-rushing opponent.
In the run game, Notre Dame may adjust by favoring more inside zone runs and power concepts where the backfield action is tight and the timing is quicker. Misdirection plays, bootlegs, and two-tight end sets could also become more prominent in the game plan to give the offensive line extra support and slow down opposing defenses. The goal will be to keep the offense ahead of the sticks and limit exposure on long-developing plays where protection might break down.
One area where Jagusah’s loss will be particularly felt is in leadership and pre-snap communication. He had taken on a significant role in identifying defensive fronts and helping call out protections—a skill that often goes unnoticed but is vital in high-pressure moments. Without him, that responsibility may fall to the center or quarterback, increasing the mental load on both.
The Irish coaching staff will also rely heavily on offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, a respected technician and teacher who has developed a strong reputation for maximizing his talent. Rudolph’s challenge now is not only to find the right five players but to get them working in sync as quickly as possible. That means extra film sessions, repetition in practice, and perhaps simplifying some calls early in the season to ensure the unit doesn’t overthink or hesitate in live-game scenarios.
Notre Dame’s depth in the offensive line room gives some hope. The program has recruited exceptionally well in the trenches in recent years, stockpiling blue-chip talent that is now being asked to contribute sooner than expected. Players like Sam Pendleton and Sullivan Absher, both top-150 recruits in recent cycles, may get their first real taste of meaningful snaps if Notre Dame opts for a rotation or needs depth due to further injuries or fatigue.
It’s also important to consider the ripple effect on the rest of the offense. The running backs will need to be more alert in pass protection, picking up blitzes or chip-blocking to give the quarterbacks time. Tight ends might be tasked with staying in-line more often to support the tackles. And quarterbacks—particularly presumed starter CJ Carr—will need to trust their internal clock, process reads faster, and be ready to escape the pocket if pressure comes early.
For Carr, the Jagusah injury adds another layer to what is already a critical development year. As a freshman quarterback expected to take on a prominent role, Carr’s success is directly tied to how well the offensive line protects him. The coaching staff will likely emphasize ball security, decisive decision-making, and designed rollouts or screens to help Carr settle in behind an offensive line that will need time to gel.
Defensively, Notre Dame may feel added pressure to create turnovers and control time of possession to relieve strain on an evolving offense. Special teams, too, could play a larger role in flipping field position and giving the offense shorter fields. In short, every phase of the game becomes slightly more important when a foundational player like Jagusah is missing.
While the timing of the injury is unfortunate, it does give Notre Dame some time to prepare before the season begins. Fall camp will now serve not just as a typical tune-up period, but as a critical evaluation window for identifying the best possible configuration up front. There will be no time for slow starts or missed assignments once the season kicks off, especially with a schedule that includes multiple physical defensive fronts in the first half of the year.
In the longer term, Jagusah’s absence may prove beneficial for the program’s depth development. Forced reps for young linemen often accelerate their growth and give the coaching staff more flexibility down the line. While no one wanted to see Jagusah sidelined, the situation could yield unexpected dividends if Wagner, Paige, or another young lineman rises to the occasion and solidifies a starting role.
Notre Dame’s path forward will not be without bumps. There may be growing pains as the new offensive line gels, and the offense may have to win ugly at times. But adversity has a way of revealing character, and this team—led by Freeman and a battle-tested coaching staff—has the kind of mentality that doesn’t flinch in the face of setbacks.
Charles Jagusah’s absence will be deeply felt, but it’s not the end of Notre Dame’s 2025 hopes. It’s a challenge—one that could either derail a promising campaign or galvanize a group to come together stronger than before. For now, all attention turns to fall camp and the battle up front, where the next man up mentality is no longer a slogan, but a necessity.
