Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 OCT. 17, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER C hamp Monds practiced on the Mon- day and Tuesday ahead of one of the biggest football games he'd ever play at the prep level — against Baltimore St. Frances Academy, the No. 2 team in the country per the Rivals Compos- ite, which was traveling to face his Vero Beach (Fla.) High squad. But in the middle of the night on Wednesday, Sept. 2, Monds rushed to his parents' room in "excruciating pain," according to his mother, Nicki. "His shoulder had dislocated again," she told Blue & Gold Illustrated. Last November, Monds dislocated his non-throwing shoulder during a play- off game. He missed two games and re- turned for the state title game, a contest that Vero Beach lost on a last-second Hail Mary. The Monds family was told that with rest, rehabilitation and time, his shoulder would recover and the is- sue would be resolved. In the winter after his 2025 season, the four-star recruit decided to reclassify from the 2028 recruiting class to the 2027 cycle. Several months later, Monds — who was rated as a four-star talent, the No. 20 player in Florida, and the No. 17 quarter- back and No. 215 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals — committed to Notre Dame over Florida State, Ohio State and others. He prepared well in the spring and summer for his final high school season and put his injuries behind him. Then it ended suddenly and prema- turely, almost before it got started. Monds played well in a preseason kickoff classic game, and in Vero Beach's first two regular-season games, he lit up the scoreboard. He completed a com- bined 33 of 40 passes for 591 yards with 7 touchdowns, and added 70 rushing yards and 4 scores on 10 carries. "The MRI the following day con- firmed what we feared — a torn la- brum," Nicki Monds said. "His doctor explained that if Champ wanted to con- tinue playing contact sports, surgery would likely be necessary." The Monds family consulted two other orthopedic specialists, and there was a consensus. Monds needed to have surgery on his left shoulder. "They each explained that the pro- cedure has a high success rate in pre- venting the shoulder from dislocating again," she continued. "But the road back would not be short. All three doc- tors estimated a recovery time of four months, meaning Champ's high school football season was over." Monds' surgery on Sept. 9 was a suc- cess, and he began his rehab in early October. At this point, it's not clear ex- actly when he will be able to start run- ning and throwing, but the expecta- tion is that he should be at 100 percent when Notre Dame begins spring ball next March. "We have taught Champ that adversity is part of the game," Mrs. Monds said. "Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get knocked down when you least expect it. What matters is what you do when you get back up. "While his season may have been cut short, his dreams have not." THE END OF A CHAPTER Monds is no stranger to adversity. He only played in two and a half games dur- ing the 2025 regular season due to an an- kle injury. He returned for the playoffs, suffered the initial shoulder injury in the second round, missed two more playoff games and returned for the state title game, only to lose on a last-second play. F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Champ Monds' Notre Dame Story Is Just Beginning Despite Setback Monds' senior season at Vero Beach (Fla.) High came to a premature end when he had to undergo season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER