After Marcus Freeman announced that starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp would miss Monday’s National Championship game against Ohio State, speculation immediately began about whether or not the Irish would move sophomore Charles Jagusah back to tackle for the game. On Tuesday, Notre Dame’s official depth chart for the game only added fuel to that fire by listing Jagusah as an “OR” at left tackle along with grad student Tosh Baker.
Notre Dame has no obligation to produce an accurate depth chart because there are no rules regarding depth charts and injuries as there are in the NFL, so it is telling that Notre Dame listed Jagusah as they did. Freeman did not rule out Jagusah at tackle when he met with the media on Sunday, and it seems as though when the Irish line up against the Buckeyes on Monday, Jagusah could get the call.
Interestingly enough, Sam Pendleton, who started the year as a starting guard for Notre Dame, is still not listed as an option at guard behind banged-up starter Rocco Spindler. Jagusah is also listed as an OR at guard behind Spindler, with sophomore Chris Terek listed as the third option at left guard.
It is not ideal to have someone making their second career start at left tackle in a national championship game, but Jagusah did start the Sun Bowl last year and was locked in as the starting left tackle for 2025 before his pec injury in fall camp, which cost him the entire regular season. When called upon in the Orange Bowl at guard, Jagusah also performed well, grading out as Notre Dame’s highest-rated offensive lineman in the game.
The big difference this week is that Ohio State has 10 days to prepare for Notre Dame being without their starting left tackle as Jim Knowles draws up his game plan to attack the Irish, while Penn State prepared all week as though Knapp would be in the game. Baker filled in admirably for Knapp on Thursday but understandably struggled with Penn State’s Abdul Carter. Almost any backup would have struggled with Carter in that situation, though. Carter will likely be a top 10 NFL Draft pick in a few months.
Jagusah is significantly larger than Knapp, so if he is called upon to start, it could be wise for the Irish to call some early runs behind the 6-7, 330 lbs sophomore. The official roster lists Knapp at 6-4, 294 lbs.
How this all plays out still hinges on the health of Rocco Spindler. If Spindler can go, and I’d be surprised if he weren’t the way he’s battled all playoffs, it feels like the lineup will be Jagusah at LT. If Spindler can’t go or finish, it seems like Notre Dame is indicating that Baker will be the answer at LT with Jagusah at guard. Either way, it shows an incredible amount of trust and faith in Jagusah after he missed the entire season with the injury. Not that any Notre Dame is looking ahead to 2025 just yet, but it’s also an excellent sign for the future since Jagusah still has three years of eligibility remaining.
