Pitt's Pat Narduzzi Addresses Charlie Partridge Departure

Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi offered his thoughts on Charlie Partridge and the search for his replacement.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers received a devastating blow this week upon learning that defensive line coach Charlie Partridge would be departing the program in favor of taking the same position with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Pat Narduzzi, who hired Partridge in 2017 and quickly saw him develop into a key member of his coaching staff, expressed confidence in his ability to find a suitable replacement and shared some of the qualities he's looking for in potential candidates while also praising Partridge's efforts during his time with the Panthers. 

"It’s never easy to replace anybody, but I look back at what we’ve done here and we’re going to hire good people and great coaches," Narduzzi said. "Sometimes you have names on the tip of your tongue to fill those positions, but it’s not rocket science what we do. We’ve had success wherever we’ve been, and like I said, Coach Partridge is as good as you get as a d-line coach, but we had good line coaches at Michigan State and had great success, got a lot of sacks and TFLs, you do it wherever you are. I think Randy Bates and our defensive staff will find a way to get it done, we’ll hire a great guy to replace him.”

Partridge garnered a reputation as one of the country's top assistant coaches as he oversaw a unit at Pitt that routinely finished among the leaders in sacks while developing All-American and NFL talents such as Calijah Kancey, Rashad Weaver, Patrick Jones II and Jalen Twyman. 

Partridge's exit marked the second time in the last week that a prominent coach in the ACC bolted for the NFL, as Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley left the program after spending four years at the helm and was hired as the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator. 

With so much uncertainty about the future landscape of college football, coaches around the nation have more to think about in regard to their job prospects and the options available to them at the professional level moving forward. 

Narduzzi dove into the different factors that play a role in a coach's decision to make that leap while also making it clear that he believes he's best suited for the collegiate level. 

"Everybody’s got different goals in their life and different things that they make decisions based on, and I can’t make decisions for anybody else," Narduzzi said. "I know I won’t be hopping to the NFL, I can tell you that, it’s just not my cup of coffee I guess. But I think everybody’s got to make that decision. I think coaching in the National Football League is different than coaching these young guys. I mean I sat in a meeting here for about 30 minutes this morning with our guys and I just love coaching this group. I love developing the young men we have in our room and trying to get them to do it the Pitt way." 

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