On Monday, Notre Dame announced that a key starter on offense for the 2024 team will be out for the season due to an injury. The Irish will need to dig deep into the depth chart to help a unit that is expected to take a leap this fall if they want to make it far in the College Football Playoff.
Notre Dame had big shoes to fill at OT
Notre Dame lost both of its starting offensive tackles from the 2023 season. The Los Angeles Chargers drafted Joe Alt with the No. 5 pick in April’s NFL draft, and the Houston Texans selected Fisher in the second round.
Charles Jagusah had big shoes to fill. He was penciled in as the starting left tackle for the Irish. Asking a sophomore to replace Alt was a big task for the offensive line. However, Jagusah has been ruled out for the season.
Charles Jagusah has been ruled out for the season
Per a statement by the Notre Dame PR Team, Jagusah has been ruled out for the season due to a shoulder injury. Defensive back Marty Auer will miss the season due to an ACL tear:
During practice on Saturday, Aug 3, OL Charles Jagusah injured his shoulder, tearing his right pectoralis muscle, & DB/special teams player Marty Auer injured his left knee, tearing his ACL. Surgery is upcoming for both Jagusah & Auer, & both are expected to miss the 2024 season.
Tosh Baker is expected to replace Jagusah
According to Pete Sampson with The Athletic, the Irish will probably try to replace Jagusah with Tosh Baker and use Aamil Wagner as their right tackle:
[The Irish] may be forced to go back to Baker at left tackle while keeping Wagner on the right side. Neither has started a game at either position, problematic in all circumstances, but particularly in a season that opens at Texas A&M, a defense built around a strong pass rush and fueled by Kyle Field’s capacity of more than 100,000.
The injury is not ideal for the offense. Fortunately, the Irish do have depth. Baker is in his fifth year with the team.
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