Summer Enrollee Updates: Jagusah's Recovery Timeline, Terek’s Lacrosse Season

Alleman Catholic High School (Ill.) offensive tackle Charles Jagusah is the highest-rated Notre Dame signee in the 2023 class. 

Unfortunately, an offseason surgery will limit the blue-chip prospect when he arrives on campus on the weekend of June 9.

“I had surgery in the winter on my knee for an injury I got during the season last year, so it's just been mostly spent recovering that,” Jaguasah said. “I'm feeling a lot better… I had a torn PCL and a partial ACL sprain that I had to get fixed.”

The injury prevented the Illinois native from repeating as the heavyweight state champion wrestler. Instead, he’s focused on his recovery process.

“Some of Notre Dame's medical staff thought I'd be cleared and fully healthy by October,” Jaguasah said. “My physical therapist seems to think I'll be ready to go by the end of July, so I'm probably somewhere in the middle, but I'll be limited for at least the first part of camp in the fall.”

There’s no need to rush the consensus top-100 prospect onto the field given the return of the tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, so Jagusah should be able to focus on returning to football shape and adapting to the demands of a college athlete. 

The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle weighs between 325 and 330 pounds. He’s been cleared to lift weight for about six weeks and is just getting back to jogging.

“I'm trying to hit that point where I can really do a lot more stuff,” Jagusah said, “but I'm kind of just waiting to make sure I meet all the thresholds for everything.”

Of course, the injury hasn’t hindered him in the classroom. He expects to graduate with roughly a 4.1 GPA.

He may be a dedicated student, but Jagusah is mentally preparing himself for the rigors of a Notre Dame education.

“It's going to be hard because of the nature of taking classes at Notre Dame, but I think of how structured everything is; it's going to give me an opportunity to show that I can do a lot more,” Jagusah said. “In high school, you've got a job and you got a bunch of different stuff going on in different sports. I think it's going to give me a little more time to focus on what I want to focus on and get better.”

During the spring, he’s also watched film on players he admires, especially during the 2023 NFL Draft. He dove into the game of tackle Darnell Wright, the No. 10 overall pick by the Chicago Bears, who is a similar size to Jagusah.

He also enjoyed watching Notre Dame’s tackle tandem in the Blue-Gold Game. 

“I was excited to watch the spring game and see how they're doing and talking to coach [Joe] Rudolph a ton,” Jagusah said. “Joe [Alt) killed it, and Blake keeps getting better every day. Those guys are probably people that I’m going to have to count on a lot in the fall just to kind of figure out the basics and get going.”

Of course, a big part of Jagusah’s offseason has been developing a relationship his new offensive line coach. This spring, Rudolph took over the now-retired Harry Hiestand.

“I really like Coach Rudolph,” Jagusah said. “I knew him a little bit when he was in Wisconsin because he was one of the earlier schools to recruit me, but I think he brings a lot to the table as a coach.  He's a real person. He's just kind of different than Coach Hiestand. They're both great coaches in their own right.”

“Coach Rudolph kind of provides that little bit of like figure it out kind of technique, where it's like you're using a certain technique that's different, but you adjust depending on your playstyle. I think he can kind of add a lot to what I want to do.”

Chris Terek

Chris Terek, a three-star offensive lineman from Glenbard West H.S. (Ill.), has also enjoyed connecting with Rudolph, who he met at the Blue-Gold Game. Recently, Terek’s soon-to-be offensive line coach attended one of his high school lacrosse practices. 

The Glenbard West Hilltoppers are one of the top programs in the state. They’ll face Oakpark on Monday for their first game in the IHSA Sectionals.

“We're a really solid team,” Terek said. “I don't start on the team. I started playing last year just for fun. We're like the number two team in the state. We're pretty good.”

Terek enjoys how much the sport — which involves far more running than playing offensive line — keeps him in shape.

“It's a fun sport to play,” Terek said. “It's a lot of running and it's kept me in good shape. I played a little bit when I was younger, too. I always just thought it was fun, and I picked it up again last spring.”

Even given the demands of his lacrosse team, he still adheres to the four-day-a-week conditioning program given to him by Notre Dame director of football performance Matt Balis.

“I go to lacrosse practice every day and then do the workout plan they have me on right now,” Terek said.

Terek maybe be training for two sports simultaneously, but he’s still been able to maintain weight. He currently stands at a little over 6-foot-5 and weighs 310 pounds.

He’s enjoying the end of his high school career and senior lacrosse season, but more than anything, Terek is looking forward to starting the next chapter of his football and academic career.

“I’m definitely ready for the change,” he said. “It’s going to be a big change. It's going to be the next three, four years in my life, so I'm excited to really get it set in stone and started.”

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Switch Chip Golf Tin Set