Partridge inherits a dominant pressure group, adding explosive talent to an already elite Notre Dame defensive line.
In back to back seasons, Notre Dame was in need of making some impact hires on the defensive coaching staff. After the 2024 season, they lost defensive coordinator Al Golden to the NFL where he now fills the same role for the Cincinnati Bengals. That offseason, they hired Chris Ash who, after a rough start, got things turned around in the final two quarters of the regular season and ended the year with an elite defense.
This offseason, the Irish have lost all three of their impactful position coaches on the defensive staff. Al Washington is headed to the Miami Dolphins, Mike Mickens is headed to the Baltimore Ravens and Max Bullough is headed back to his alma mater to be the co-defensive coordinator for the Michigan State Spartans. One of the first offseason hires head coach Marcus Freeman and Ash made was along the defensive line in former Indianapolis Colts defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.
Prior to his two-year stint in the NFL, Partridge coached at the collegiate level for 22 years with the majority of that time being spent with defensive lines. His most recent college experience was with the Pitt. He was with the Panthers from 2017-2023 where he engineered several top units on the defensive line. Partridge is walking into an extremely talented situation in South Bend.
The Lay Of The Land
Notre Dame led the entire country in total pressures as a defense. The Irish finished the regular seasons with 285 total pressures when last season, in 16 games, they finished with 272 total pressures. What's even more impressive about that number is that the defensive line accounted for 206 of the 285 total pressures. This will, by far, be one of the most talented groups Partridge has had to work with during his collegiate career.
The interior of the defensive line got a major boost when Jason Onye was elected a 6th year of eligibility and Armel Mukam withdrew his name from the transfer portal. Then, the Irish went out and picked up Francis Brewu, from Pitt who was recruited by Partridge out of high school, and Tionne Gray from Oregon. Rising sophomore Christopher Burgess will likely move inside adding more depth and talent to the interior.
The Irish return both starting defensive ends from last season in Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young. Losing Josh Burnham to the portal, Junior Tuihalamaka to graduation and Jordan Botelho to graduation is a blow. But picking up Keon Keeley from Alabama, a former Notre Dame commit in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and adding Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade from the 2026 recruiting class helps cushion the blow. This has the potential to be Notre Dame's best end rotation in quite some time.
Expectations In 2026
On paper, this should be one of Notre Dame's most talented defensive lines in the last 20 years, but there's a level of development that all four positions will need to achieve that and that's where Partridge's expectations for this unit begins. Washington took this unit from a Top 25 group to a Top 10 group by the time he left and his parting gift was Ewetade, Dunham, Tiki Hola and Elijah Golden from the 2026 class. Every player on the defensive line has another level they can achieve.
Traore had a solid season in 2026, a year removed from his knee injury sustained in 2024. But his ceiling is that of a day-one NFL Draft pick. Young flashed in 2025, but will need to be a strong compliment to Traore this upcoming season to solidify Notre Dame's edge. Keeley might have the highest ceiling of the trio, but will have to rework his body and technical prowess under Partridge's tutelage.
The interior is deep, but players will need to continue to grow. Onye and Brewu return as your most experienced players, but behind them, there's work to be done from a developmental perspective. Mukam is another player with top-level NFL talent, but has only played 135 snaps in his three years in South Bend. Gray will be finding his role in South Bend while Burgess will be finding his footing as an interior player after spending his freshman season on the edge.
This is an exceptionally talented unit, but the number one expectation for the former Indianapolis Colt and the former Pitt Panther defensive line coach is to take the development of this room to the next level. Washington laid a fantastic foundation, now it's time for Partridge to build on it and get this unit performing like a Top 5 unit in the country in 2026.
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