Partridge named permanent staff member (LBs/ST)
EDIT: The image is wrong. He is the special teams coordinator. Jay Harbaugh is the assistant ST coach.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Jim Harbaughannounced Thursday (Jan. 14) that Chris Partridge has been permanently added to the coaching staff and will serve as the team's linebackers and special teams coach.
"Chris has a proven track record as a successful coach," said Harbaugh. "He has brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to his work as our director of player personnel. I know that same passion will be exhibited in his work with our student-athletes."
"I came to Michigan because I wanted to work with the best and learn from the best," said Partridge. "I couldn't have a better mentor than Coach Harbaugh, who shares my vision that the student-athletes come first. I am honored by his confidence and for the opportunity to continue to serve this incredibility institution."
Partridge had been the team's director of player personnel in recruiting since joining the staff in January 2015 until Coach Harbaugh appointed him to coach the team's linebackers during the bowl season.
Competing against the No. 19-ranked University of Florida in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day, Partridge helped coach the Wolverines to a convincing 41-7 victory. The stout Wolverine defense held the Gator attack to just 28 total yards of offense in the second half, including two yards in the third quarter. The team's two leading tacklers against Florida were both linebackers (Joe Bolden, 7; Desmond Morgan, 4).
Partridge came to Ann Arbor after serving as the head coach at New Jersey's Paramus Catholic High School, a position he held for five seasons (2010-14). While at the helm of the Paladin program, Partridge grew a football program listed 4,250th nationally and 112th in state of New Jersey to the top-ranked team in the state and No. 4 nationally by USA Today. He coached and mentored more than 30 Division I football players during that time, as well as various All-America players.
Prior to his stint at Paramus, Partridge served as the defensive line coach and assistant to the special teams at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.
Partridge coached at his alma mater, Lafayette College, in Easton, Pennsylvania, as the secondary coach and assistant to the special teams coordinator.
Partridge earned his bachelor's degree in government and law from Lafayette College in 2003
January 14th, 2016 at 6:35 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 14th, 2016 at 7:10 PM ^
January 14th, 2016 at 6:58 PM ^
January 14th, 2016 at 7:29 PM ^
"Bible deal." "Incredibility institution." What the hell. Did Websters release a crazy new dictionary and not tell me?
January 14th, 2016 at 8:08 PM ^
January 14th, 2016 at 7:32 PM ^
Basically Rashan Gary.
I do find it strange Rutgers didnt want him on staff because they felt other HSs in the NJ area would not react well to him but we have him sort of as our NJ guy. Wonder how much is really Patridge (outside of Gary's school) and how much was the idea we were getting NJ guys in the prior few years and now NJ is in the Big 10 footprint and was up for grabs. We'll never know.
But with Schiano now at OSU we definitely need to have a NJ focus - its popping out a lot of quality football players with no natural in state power to absorb them.
January 14th, 2016 at 8:09 PM ^
I thought it was just Peppers and his HS teammate. With Partridge we've gotten four 4*s in one class, none affiliated with his former school, and we're obviously hoping for even more. It's going to be our best haul from a single state other than MI and OH in my memory. I'm guessing it will rank pretty high even including those There's a lot more reason to credit Partridge for his role that to doubt it.
January 14th, 2016 at 11:01 PM ^
I think it's a combination of both. It certainly helps to have a guy on staff that is so plugged in to high school football in NJ. At the same time, it helps to have Rutgers and Maryland (as well as PSU) in the B1G. Barring future reallignment, Michigan is guaranteed to play 1-2 games on the East Coast each year. So if you're a kid from NJ, you can go to Michigan and your family can see you play in person at least 1-2 times a year, either in NJ, or 3 hours from NJ in College Park or State College.
January 14th, 2016 at 7:49 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 14th, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^
1) Partridge "recruited" players to Paramas Catholic, which was an awful school early in partridge's tenure by shady means (won't speculate here). This pissed off the traditional powerhouse NJ programs and they told Rutgers to not hire Partridge.
2) partridge was offered a job by the Flood, but didn't accept on the spot because he had an interview with Harbaugh. This pissed off Flood and he took back the offer.
3) NJ coaches like Partridge and didn't want their star players recruited to a crappy program like Rutgers and knew Partridge would be successful if he went to Rutgers. They told Flood not to hire Partridge.
