Notre Dame Football Injury Report: Key Updates from Fall Camp Start

An update on three injured Notre Dame players as fall practice gets underway

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during a football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame football opened fall camp on Thursday, and the best news of the day is that no players were injured in the first practice. There is a long way to go until Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish squad boards a plane and heads to Miami for the opener, but better injury luck is something that feels due after 2024.

There were, however, a few injuries Notre Dame players suffered since the end of last season, and Freeman spoke on those a bit on Thursday.

Offensive Guard Charles Jagusah

Notre Dame offensive lineman Charles Jagusah (56) participates in a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jagusah was projected to start at right guard this fall, but a UTV accident on Fourth of July weekend will delay his start to the year.

Freeman: "Charles (Jagusah) just had a procedure to clean up...to sew back up his wound...We had to close up his wound. But that's not going to delay his return more than a couple days."

Freeman noted that Jagusah would be back this season, but didn't give an estimated timeframe.

Tight End Cooper Flanagan

Oct 28, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Cooper Flanagan (87) catches a pass for a touchdown against Pittsburgh Panthers safety Stephon Hall (25) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's strength at tight end doesn't appear to be near the level it has been for seemingly decades as it enters fall camp. Part of the reason for that is tight end Cooper Flanagan, who tore his Achilles in the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. Freeman paired the injured tight end with Jagusah while discussing injury lengths.

Freeman on Flanagan as well as Jagusah: “With Coop (er Flanagan) and Charles (Jagusah), they’ll be back during the season...There’s not a hard date that we’re going to say ‘this is the game they’ll be back’, but they’ll be back this year.  

“So, it’s a progression, but we don’t want to put a timeline on it...We don’t want to say this is the exact game they’re going to be back, because with rehabilitation, it can all change based on how they’re progressing.” 

Defensive End Boubacar Traore

Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defenisve lineman Boubacar Traore (5) pressures Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Boubacar Traore factors into Notre Dame's seeming wealth of talent at defensive end, but is coming off a torn ACL suffered in late September of last season. Traore isn't 100% yet, but is building towards that and should be ready for the start of the season.

Marcus Freeman on Traore: “Boubacar is more of a progression...He’ll be ready to go. We just want to slowly increase the load that we ask him to perform in practice.” 

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) is carted off the field with an apparent injury during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Notre Dame had its best season in decades last year and did so despite having no luck on the injury front. Before the season even started, injuries began, and they didn't slow down until the season finally ended in mid-January.

It seems like things are pointed in the right direction for the names listed above, and factor in a player like defensive end Jordan Botelho, who should be back sometime around the midway point of the year, and Notre Dame is setting up to get reinforcements throughout the regular season.

The depth at Notre Dame has improved significantly, but the margin for error between so many teams chasing the national championship is razor thin. Notre Dame getting even a little help on the injury front this year seems like it almost has to happen, and would be a pleasant change of pace after the seemingly weekly setbacks a year ago.