New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge unveils his blueprint for the trenches, leveraging NFL experience and building on a strong foundation for 2026 success.
Early into the offseason, Notre Dame was in search of a new defensive line coach. On January 8, 2026 they found their guy in Charlie Partridge who brings extensive experience at the collegiate level to the table. He was also the latest defensive line coach with the Indianapolis Colts. Partridge was most recently the defensive line coach with the Pitt Panthers at the collegiate level and coached against Notre Dame on several occasions. His familiarity with Notre Dame's current defensive coordinator played a role in his journey up north.
Now, he brings his experience to South Bend to coach an extremely talented unit ahead of the 2026 season. Partridge also has previous ties with current Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash who took over for Al Golden ahead of the 2025 season. The expectations with the defense as a whole are high heading into the 2026 season; Partridge's defensive line will be at the nucleus of their success.
You can watch the full press conference here:
Here are some of the main quotes from Partridge's introductory press conference:
Partridge On Relationship With Chris Ash
"We've always talked football through all the years, whether we're working together or not," Partridge explained. "He's gone on to his systems and additional systems, as have I. Me and Chris are way beyond where we have to be nice. We can have real conversations without an emotional barrier, come to a solution and there's no problem. That's hard to do because all us coaches, we're all the same. We're all alphas. We all believe in what we believe in. All that stuff with me and Chris doesn't matter. We can really have real conversations and move on, which is pretty special."
Partridge On The Notre Dame Difference
"This is a unique place," Partridge said. "You better care about school if you're at Notre Dame and guys that have been here know that and understand that. Not that other schools don't but online classes don't really exist here; things like that that don't exist. You have to go to class. You have to engage with your professor, which as you and I know, that's a great thing. It's a learning curve for maybe a guy or two, and having guys that have been through the quote-unquote system here is a huge advantage."
Partridge On His Road To Notre Dame
"I loved my experience with the Colts, and my experience in the NFL," Partridge explained. "I learned a lot. It was not an easy decision, but then it was. I certainly had the opportunity to stay with the Colts, but whether you guys know it or not, it was a pretty special place led by a pretty special head coach. Then you combine that with a pretty unique relationship with me and the defensive coordinator, it became an opportunity that was obvious."
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