SOUTH BEND —Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman remains bullish on fourth-year offensive lineman Charles Jagusah and his long-term playing future.
Now more than 54 weeks removed from a utility-vehicle accident in Wyoming that left Jagusah with a fractured humerus in his left arm, the Rock Island, Illinois product is determined to return to the field as soon as this fall.
“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 Tuesday in his first session with local media in 94 days. “That’s the goal for everybody. Part of that will be just time and healing and strength. There is no timetable right now.”
Jagusah has undergone five surgical procedures, including a bone graft on March 18, but has impressed Freeman with his mental strength in the wake of those setbacks, including personal loss.
“He’s been through so much,” Freeman said. “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.”
Freeman credited Jagusah’s strong support system, both at home and on campus, for keeping him upbeat. 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.
Once healthy, Jagusah could push for playing time at either guard or tackle.
“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.
“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.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman still counts on Charles Jagusah
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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By Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
