Charlie Partridge Worked Quickly to Revamp the Pitt Defensive Line

College football is a war of attrition, especially in the age of the transfer portal and NIL, and Pitt needed reinforcements.

Not one soul doubted Charlie Partridge’s importance to the Pitt defense as the offseason kicked off on Nov. 26, with major question marks facing a defensive line that underperformed last season (and then lost two would-be starters to the transfer portal), but he once again showed why he’s the most important assistant on the staff.

Pitt lost a lot of defensive line starters to “graduation” this offseason, but when Samuel Okunlola (now at Colorado) and Deandre Jules (now at South Carolina) entered the transfer portal, it left the unit dangerously thin.

Partridge completely revamped the defensive line over the last couple of weeks, and it started last weekend as the Panthers hosted a star-studded class of official visitors.

Pitt added Kansas State transfer defensive end Nate Matlack, Indiana transfer defensive tackle Nick James and Clemson defensive end David Ojiegbe from that group of visitors, and it was exactly the kind of boost the room needed.

Matlack has one season of eligibility to play in a defensive scheme best suited for his skill set. He’s a long, athletic edge who racked up 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in a 3-4 defensive scheme that didn’t ask him to get after opposing quarterbacks. Now he’ll be able to play to his strengths off the edge.

James and Ojigbe are former four-star recruits who will have multiple seasons of eligibility in Pittsburgh. Three for James, and four for Ojiegbe. James fills a massive void at defensive tackle, able to come in and immediately serve as a big, athletic pass rusher up the middle. Ojiegbe is basically receiving a fresh start. He’s an incredibly intriguing pass rusher who came to Pittsburgh to work with Partridge.

In fact, all three came to Pittsburgh in no small part because of Partridge. His resume speaks for itself, but his ability to connect with and positively influence potential commits is astounding. And it isn’t limited to the transfer portal either.

Pitt brought in a five-man defensive line group in the class of 2024, and three of the signees are four-star recruits. Jahsear Whittington, Sincere Edwards and Francis Brewu. Partridge was monumental in holding onto Brewu, who was courted by Michigan State all the way up to National Signing Day.

Whittington and Brewu are in a prime position to come in and immediately compete for playing time. Edwards and Crothers are two very talented pass rushers off the edge, and Yuhas has the positional versatility to be molded for the inside or the outside. There’s just more experience on the edge at this point.

Dayon Hayes is still in place. He was much better than the stats indicated last season, and it’s not unrealistic to expect double-digit tackles for loss and sacks in 2024. Nate Temple and Bam Brima provide that veteran experience, and Jimmy Scott emerged down the stretch last season on the edge. He’s a former four-star recruit himself.

The ends are in a good place. It’s a little bit more concerning inside. James is nearly a lock. Sean FitzSimmons seems primed for a breakout season, and Nakhi Johnson and Elliot Donald are both still waiting for a chance after arriving as four-star recruits in 2021. They’re both on the inside now.

Isaiah Neal, Whittington and Brewu all have a potential path to playing time. It’s just incredibly difficult to crack the rotation as a freshman — even a second-year freshman. One more veteran defensive end would be a plus but recently converted defensive tackle Nakhi Johnson may be that addition.

Pitt led all of college football in sacks over the four seasons leading into 2023, with 26 more than second place Alabama, but the Panthers weren’t able to consistently generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and failed to create that push upfront to stop opposing running backs.

Pitt finished 2023 tied for 30th in sacks (31), tied for 17th in tackles for loss (83) and 64th in rush defense (150.4 yards allowed per game) in the NCAA.

And with David Green, Devin Danielson and Tyler Bentley exhausting their respective eligibility, and Deandre Jules and Nate Temple entering the transfer portal, that is an awful lot of experience off the table. In 2023 alone, that’s 1,871 defensive snaps and 33 combined starts.

But all of those snaps didn’t exactly result in success. Jules is a surprising loss, one of the better performers on the inside for the Panthers, but the trio of Green, Danielson and Bentley combined for just 15 pressures and 3.5 sacks in 438 combined pass rushing snaps. And the unit wasn’t all that effective in stopping the run.

The defense as a whole generated just 173 pressures in 2023, which is down from 293 in 2022 and 280 in 2021. There were no difference-makers, no impact players with the ability to take over a football game.

It remains to be seen whether or not Pitt will reach those lofty heights in 2024, but there’s significantly more potential than there was even before the 2023 season. And there’s still the chance for an addition down the line.

Potential Starting Defensive Line 

DE — Dayon Hayes – Nate Temple – Bam Brima

DL — Nick James – Nakhi Johnson OR Isaiah Neal – Francis Brewu

DL — Sean FitzSimmons – Nakhi Johnson OR Elliot Donald – Jahsear Whittington

DE — Nate Matlack – David Ojiegbe – Jimmy Scott

Depth — Sincere Edwards, Antonio Camon, Zachary Crothers, Ty Yuhas, Maverick Gracio