Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542428
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2026 31 can assume a contract extension is in order every offseason for as long as he remains in South Bend. "I view his contract, although a multi-year contract, as a living, breath- ing document that we will revise every year as need be to make sure he's where he deserves to be," Bevacqua said. How long will that be? We truly can't say. Teams won't stop calling Freeman any time soon, and Irish fans can ex- pect to be inundated with "Team X is interested in Notre Dame's head coach" headlines for the foreseeable future. But at least for now, Freeman is Irish. And as long as that's the case, Notre Dame has a shot to do something spe- cial. ✦ With an opening on its defensive coaching staff, Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash opted for a multi-spot reshuffling. It's not the first time Notre Dame has done some- thing like this. In 2024, when safeties coach Chris O'Leary left for the Los Angeles Chargers, the Irish expanded then-cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens' role to the entire secondary. Then, needing a new full-time staffer, Freeman promoted then-graduate assistant Max Bullough to linebackers coach and let then-linebackers coach/defensive coordinator Al Golden focus exclusively on coordinating the defense. This time around, it was Bullough who created the vacancy. The rising star assistant took a job at Michigan State, under new Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Bullough will coach linebackers at his alma mater, and he added a co-defensive coordina- tor tag to make the move a promotion. With Bullough gone, Freeman moved defensive line coach Al Washington to linebackers, a role he's held at three separate stops throughout his career: Elon in 2011, Michigan in 2018 and Ohio State from 2019-21. A college assistant since 2007, Washington is seen as a future defensive coordinator and head coach. He was one of two finalists for the Boston College head coaching job in 2024, finishing second when the Eagles went with Bill O'Brien. Washington was also a finalist for FootballScoop's Defensive Line Coach of the Year award for his work with the Irish front four in 2025. After a slow start to the season, Notre Dame led the Power Four in quarterback pressures with 285. But for Washington, shifting to linebackers coach is seen as a positive. "It's a nod, sources shared, to Washington's ongoing career growth and an opportunity for Washington to take the next steps in his coaching career on a potential path to becoming a defensive coordinator or head coach," FootballScoop's John Brice wrote. In a move likely in the works for weeks behind the scenes, Notre Dame moved quickly to replace Washington on the defensive line. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported that the Irish are set to hire Colts defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, who has a lengthy history of success with Ash. Partridge and Ash first crossed paths at Drake, where they were both graduate assistants, in 1997. They reconnected at Wisconsin in 2010, mak- ing three straight Rose Bowls, and both of them followed head coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas in 2013. Partridge then coached Pitt's defensive line for seven seasons, from 2017-23. The Panthers finished in the top three nationally in sacks in four of them, tying Clemson for the national lead with 46 in 2020. Partridge's Panthers teams were also extremely adept at penetrating the backfield against the run, finishing in the top 10 in tackles for loss three times and alone at No. 1 in 2020. Throughout his long history as a defensive line coach, Partridge has de- veloped two NFL first-round picks. And neither were highly touted recruits. Calijah Kancey was the No. 829 player in the 2019 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. The highest anyone had him ranked nationally was at No. 47 among interior defensive linemen, and he grew into the ACC De- fensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American at Pitt. He was taken 19th overall in 2023 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. J.J. Watt walked on at Wisconsin after starting his college career as a two-star tight end at Central Michigan. He had 36.5 tackles for loss in two seasons with the Badgers, which is just absurdly dominant, and he recently completed a Hall-of-Fame career with the Houston Texans. Notre Dame hopes Partridge can generate that kind of success with its defensive line, which should look very different from the 2025 edition. — Jack Soble Partridge, who spent the past two season with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash have worked together previously at Drake, Wisconsin and Arkansas. PHOTO COURTESY INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Notre Dame Shuffles Defensive Staff, Adds DL Coach Charlie Partridge Al Washington, who was a finalist for FootballScoop's Defensive Line Coach of the Year award in 2025, is shifting to linebackers coach in 2026. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY