About this time last week, Notre Dame fans were worried that Marcus Freeman was headed to the NFL. As it turns out, the Fighting Irish are pulling their new defensive line coach from the pros. Charlie Partridge is the final piece of the ND coaching staff puzzle.
Partridge has spent the last two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts but before that, he had an extensive college career. Along most of his many stops, he's mostly always coached the defensive line, with the exception of Florida Atlantic, where he was the head coach from 2014-2016.
Partridge was FootballScoop’s defensive line coach of the year in 2020 and 2022 while at Pitt. He coached defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, a unanimous All-American and 2023 NFL Draft first-round pick. Partridge coached a pair of consensus All-American defensive ends in 2020 in Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver.
Notre Dame hires Charlie Partridge from the Indianapolis Colts
Earlier on Friday, Notre Dame moved defensive line coach Al Washington to coaching linebackers. It was a move seen to help the Irish defense while also helping Washington get to where he eventually wants to get in his coaching career.
The opening at linebackers was created when Max Bullough left South Bend for East Lansing. He's now a co-defensive coordinator for his alma mater, Michigan State.
It was Partridge's time at Wisconsin that likely helped him stand out for Fighting Irish coaches. When he was coaching for the Badgers, he served on the same staff as current Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Partridge was on the staff that brought three straight Big Ten titles to Madison and developed future NFL Hall of Famer JJ Watt.