Notre Dame Football Mailbag: Charles Jagusah, Ohio State talk, and talking the Transfer Portal
We are just six days away from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes meeting in the national championship. There is a lot of optimism swirling around the Notre Dame fandom, and a lot of anxiousness as well. This roller coaster of emotions is what makes college football so great.
In this week’s Notre Dame mailbag, I was flooded with a lot of questions surrounding the upcoming matchup, and for good reason. There were also questions about the transfer portal, recruiting, and some things to expect from the Irish moving forward. As always, thank you to those who submitted questions this week.
What’s the plan for Charles Jagusah?
One of the unsung heroes during the Notre Dame semifinal victory over Penn State is offensive lineman Charles Jagusah, who came in for the injured Rocco Spindler at right guard. Jagusah proceeded to be a dominant force up front, a huge reason why the offense scored 24 points and went for 261 total yards in the second half. The sophomore played so well coming off of injury, that he needs to be on the field against Ohio State, and he will be.
The only question is which position he will play. Obviously, he came into the year as the starting left tackle, but his impressive side (6-7 and 328 pounds) and movement skills does give some position flexibility. It’ll come down to one player against the Buckeyes to get your answer for where he plays: Rocco Spindler. If Spindler can play, I imagine that Jagusah will slide over to left tackle. If Spindler can’t play, then it’s likely that Jagusah goes to right guard and Tosh Baker will play left tackle.
Ranking the playoff matchups
In terms of just physicality, Georgia is still at the top of that list for me. They had their obvious flaws as a team, but they flew to the football and came with force. I’d probably go Ohio State second, and then Penn State third but there isn’t a massive separation. The Buckeyes just have more overall team speed than the Nittany Lions. That’s the separator between those two.
Notre Dame now, and in the future
I really dislike the notion that Notre Dame doesn’t play anyone (maybe this was a sarcastic comment, I don’t know). Heading into this football game, they have now beaten Georgia, Texas A&M, Penn State, Louisville, Indiana, and Georgia Tech, and won them all. Is that “nobody”? This Irish team is battle tested, and they belong on this national stage.
I’m not sure how Notre Dame will spend the money, but obviously, it’s a great asset to have. For all the people who yell about the Irish needing to join a conference, I’m sure some would love independence to be able to keep that money. $20 million doesn’t go a crazy long way in college football nowadays, but it will help with every facet of the program.
2025 defensive line
So here’s the thing about the 2025 defensive tackle group… I think it could be potentially deeper, but I don’t know enough to say it can be better. When healthy, both Howard Cross and Rylie Mills were very good. You also probably won’t have Jason Onye returning, who was playing tremendous football before he left the team. If someone like Armel Mukam could take a nice step forward, then I think the group could be very deep. There are just too many variables needed for it to be considered a better group, so I can’t go there right now.
Latest in the transfer portal
Barring something unforeseen, Notre Dame is done at defensive tackle in the portal. I wouldn’t be shocked if they kept their eyes open to the right defensive end if he’s out there, but I also don’t think the staff is going to force it. They like the young guys in the room like Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano, and expect they will get a strong chance to fight for reps in the rotation.
We will see what happens with Jason Onye, but I’m not overly optimistic. At this point, I’d be a bit surprised if we see him back with Notre Dame in the future. I do hope I’m wrong because he is extremely talented.
Defensive approach
While Notre Dame has been a heavy man coverage team under Marcus Freeman and Al Golden, I expect them to mix up coverages a good bit against Ohio State. We have seen Coach Golden do it in the past, including against the Buckeyes in 2022 and 2023. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is good against man coverage because there is less thinking involved. When there is post snap movement, both up front and rotating in the secondary, that’s where he can get in trouble. You have to pick your spots well, and I think Coach Golden will.
Recruiting impact from winning
There’s already a buzz out there with recruits. It started with beating the Georgia Bulldogs, and has continued with them making it to the national championship. Even if Notre Dame doesn’t beat Ohio State, I think the impact of winning is going to have a huge carryover to the 2026 recruiting class. If they do win, then good luck to the rest of college football.
