Critical Notre Dame Starter Suffers Devastating Season-Ending Injury

The Notre Dame football team suffered a devastating blow as the program announced starting left tackle Charles Jagusah tore his right pectoralis muscle while defensive back and special teamer Marty Auer tore his ACL.

Both are expected to miss the entire 2024 season following surgery. Jagusah's injury in particular leaves the Fighting Irish in a brutal spot, now facing the prospect of suddenly replacing one of the most important members of their offensive line.

For a team with national championship aspirations, the impact of Jagusah's loss cannot be overstated.

Notre Dame News: Starting LT Charles Jagusah Out for Season With Huge Injury

Marcus Freeman now faces a difficult decision about who to promote. The six-foot-seven, 330-pound Jagusah had a tremendous opportunity to become a foundational part of this offense and Freeman has to figure out who can fill his outsized shoes.

Aamil Wagner and Sullivan Absher are both candidates to start. Perhaps Freeman goes in a difficult direction, though fans should expect some offensive line reshuffling regardless moving forward.

Auer is a rising senior expected to step into a big special teams role with some defensive contributions as well, so his loss looms large too. Within one practice, Notre Dame lost a pair of valuable contributors.

There's plenty of time before the Fighting Irish's season-opening contest at Texas A&M on August 31. However, the team must find a left tackle who can handle fierce opposing pass rushes while avoiding damage to the rest of the offensive line.

No matter what, this is terrible news for Notre Dame. The program's College Football Playoff hopes took a huge hit before the year even got started, and here's hoping this is the last major injury the team deals with for the rest of August.

More Chicago Sports News: