Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 APRIL 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME If there actually is such a thing as safety in numbers, Notre Dame assistant fencing coach Christian Rascioni lives it every day. The Irish fencing roster includes about 50 stu- dent-athletes, which lifts the level of competi- tion in practice and helps to make Notre Dame the premier fencing program in the nation. Following another good showing at the ACC Championships Feb. 24-25 — in which the Irish women notched a first-place finish and the men produced a second-place showing — Notre Dame now has its sights set on the NCAA Cham- pionships March 21-24 in Columbus, Ohio. The picture of dominance and consistency, the Irish will be looking for a fourth straight co-ed national championship and its sixth in the last eight seasons. If successful, it would be their 14th overall national fencing title, dating back to 1977. Tragically, overshadowing this typically glori- ous time for the Irish fencers is the death of sophomore teammate Spencer Vermeule, who was killed in a single-car accident March 2. Blue & Gold Illustrated recently caught up with Rascioni to discuss the mood and makeup of his team heading into the NCAA Championships and what it will take to claim a fourth straight na- tional title, a challenge made more difficult with many of his top fencers absent and on a "gap year," training for the 2024 Paris Summer Olym- pics instead of competing at the collegiate level. BGI: How is the team handling the loss of Vermeule? Rascioni: "It's not easy. We're going through some tough times, especially the kids that were close to Spencer. They are having some hard times. But we're all together and reacting pretty well, as well as can be expected." BGI: Given the absence of some of your more accomplished fencers, what is the pressure like for the student-athletes taking their places? Rascioni: " The stress management for our freshmen is a little different because most of them are not really used to handling these in- tense situations. "It's going to be pretty complicated. It's a little different this year." BGI: With all the unique challenges, where is the psyche of the team? Rascioni: "We can't afford any mistakes. In past seasons, we always had such a high quality that if we had a bad day, we could rely on some very good fencers to adjust everything. " This year, it's going to be more about the teamwork." BGI: Are your student-athletes able to pull from previous program successes to help rise above those challenges? Rascioni: "Yes, but college fencing is a different way to fence. It's a different environment, and sometimes no matter how strong their back- ground, competing at the international level is a completely different style of fencing." BGI: Personally, what is your mood chasing a fourth straight national title, something that Notre Dame has never done? Rascioni: "I'm very calm. As a coach, I don't feel the pressure. Our confidence is where it needs to be. We have done everything we could. We trained hard. We worked hard. All the people — staff, team, fans — everybody did their job and now it is just a matter of discipline." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME ASSISTANT FENCING COACH CHRISTIAN RASCIONI All Eyes On Likely QB1, Riley Leonard By Jack Soble Who would raise Notre Dame's ceiling the most by breaking out in 2024? There are a few good options, including Todd's pick, sophomore offensive tackle Charles Jagusah. Here's a sneaky pick on defense: sophomore cornerback Chris- tian Gray, who I (and the team, according to a Blue & Gold Illustrated source) believe has superstar potential. But the easy and correct answer is Leonard, who has the tools to be a top-tier quarterback but didn't make the leap many expected last season at Duke. Injuries played a major part in that, and so did facing top-tier defenses like Notre Dame, Clemson and Florida State. However, he still needs to clean up his consistency as a passer once he gets back out onto the field for spring ball. If he does that, though … whew. Imagine a 6-foot-4, 217-pound signal-caller with running back-like field vision and the arm talent to make any throw. Now imagine that signal-caller delivering accurate passes with proper mechanics every time he drops back. Leonard has the first part down. He has some work to do on the second part. Making the leap from what Leonard is now (a solid starting quarterback) to what he wants to become in one offseason will be difficult. The three 2023 Heisman Trophy finalists all transferred to their respective schools with two years of eligibility remaining, and I suspect Notre Dame would have loved to bring Leonard into a similar situation. The Irish wouldn't have taken Leonard if they didn't think he could make it, though. That starts in spring camp. Charles Jagusah Needs To Fill Big Shoes By Todd D. Burlage It's hard to fault my fine colleague, Jack Soble, for choosing Irish quarterback Riley Leonard for this de- bate. The Duke transfer will start and become the face of the program this fall, and the Notre Dame fortunes will often hinge on his quality of play. But when it comes to big shoes to fill at another vitally important position, sophomore offensive tackle Charles Jagusah faces the pressure of performing well this spring more than any other Irish player. After playing in only one regular-season game in 2023, Jagusah drew the start at left tackle in the Sun Bowl when Irish All-American Joe Alt opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft. Jagusah played well in his first career start, helping pave the way for 236 rushing yards in a 40-8 rout of Oregon State. Given his performance, it's likely the highest-rated player in Notre Dame's 2023 recruiting class will begin 2024 spring ball as the starting left tackle. And what a luxury it would be for the Irish coaches to find an adequate replacement for Alt this season, and perhaps for even two or three years to come with Jagusah. Again, there's no debate that the name Riley Leonard will resonate with Notre Dame fans this spring much more than Charles Jagusah. But considering the protection, production and promise that Jagusah provides the Notre Dame offense, there is no player on the Irish roster who needs a better spring season, for both the sake of the team and the player. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO DOES NOTRE DAME MOST NEED TO EXCEL IN SPRING BALL? Rascioni and the Irish are aiming for their fourth straight co-ed national championship and their sixth in the last eight seasons. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS LEONARD JAGUSAH