Michigan Football: 4 realistic candidates for defensive coordinator

Chris Partridge

This is a name that should be familiar with Michigan football fans because Chris Partridge was on the Wolverines’ coaching staff for the first five years of the Jim Harbaugh era.

He got his start coaching high school is from the New Jersey area and proved to be an extremely valuable recruiter for the Wolverines. Eventually, he left to become the co-DC at Ole Miss, but there was chatter about him replacing Don Brown if the move was ever made.

It was, but Partridge already had a DC job in the SEC at the time. Lane Kiffin hired his brother Chris Kiffin to be the co-DC at Ole Miss after DJ Durkin left for Texas A&M, so it’s possible that Partridge could see a chance at calling plays in Ann Arbor as an upgrade.

The scheme might change a little and that could be a concern. But if the Wolverines miss on Foote and Minter, Partridge checks a lot of boxes. He’s familiar with the staff, he knows Michigan and he’s got experience game-planning against elite college offenses.

He’s not my ideal candidate, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a good hire.