Jim Harbaugh shares why he hired Chris Partridge back to Michigan football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The prodigal son returned after a walk down into SEC country, and just in time for spring ball.
While it had seemed as if Michigan football was set with its coaching staff, with only one coach moving on with the dismissal of quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss, the Wolverines had something of a late surprise, replacing linebackers coach George Helow with former recruiting coordinator, linebackers coach, safeties coach, and special teams coordinator Chris Partridge. Partridge departed the program after the 2019 season to become the co-defensive coordinator at Ole Miss. He had the sole responsibilities in Oxford overseeing the defense this past year, but he became a casualty after a disappointing season there. However, he returned to where his college coaching career started with Harbaugh bringing him back as linebackers coach.
But why make the move? Harbaugh says it was a no-brainer.
“It would be pretty, pretty obvious,” Harbaugh said. “We think he’s a great coach, and was when he was here. Trusted agent, known friend. Just thought that was something that would really help our team.”
What is it that Harbaugh feels Partridge does though that helps the team? He gave a relatively basic answer, but says he really appreciates the holistic element of his coaching style.
“Tremendous people skills, great work ethic, football knowledge and he is somebody that is literally always trying to get better as a coach, as a teacher,” Harbaugh said. “Just attacks everything with just a high level of enthusiasm in every way.”
What’s more, Partridge is known as a voracious recruiter, having been responsible for some of the Wolverines’ top pledges over the years, including former No. 1 overall recruit Rashan Gary, whom Partridge coached at Paramus (N.J.) Catholic before coming to Ann Arbor. But Gary isn’t the only top-flight prospect he reeled into the maize and blue, as Partridge was regularly among the top recruiters in the Big Ten, if not the country.
That said, what makes him such a good recruiter out on the trail?
“He’s just so passionate about it, he cares so much,” Harbaugh said. “Going back to the time when he was here, the comments that come back from the families, especially, just how much they trust Chris, because it’s daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. He just invests just like it’s like his own family. So just that tremendous passion, how much he cares. Really, I think everybody that he’s associated with just knows that, senses that and then he (emanates) it.
“And then it’s not just over those months that he’s recruiting somebody. It’s while they’re here and it becomes a lasting, trusting friendship with Chris And just the amount of comments I’ve had from, from parents, families, where he’s part of the family, he becomes part of the family. I mean, that’s what you’re looking for. That’s the kind of coach I want around our players, around our program.”
