‘Elite recruiter' Chris Partridge has big plans at Michigan

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh brought Chris Partridge back to coach linebackers, yet another coach on staff with coordinator experience. Partridge cut his teeth at U-M, joining Harbaugh’s staff in 2015, and quickly became an elite recruiting and outstanding position coach. 

His relentless approach on the trail — and how much he cares about people — is why he’s so successful hauling in recruits.

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“No. 1 is relationships,” he told Jon Jansen on the latest In the Trenches podcast. “I’m a relationships guy. I love recruiting because I love talking to and meeting different families, coaches, different size schools … different ways of doing things. Different upbringing from the players … that all interests me. Just forming relationships with different people around the country — it excites me, and I like doing it. Naturally, when you like doing something and it fits who you are, you’re going to work harder and just be better at it.”

He takes pride in it, he added.

Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, for all his transgressions, was right about one thing … you need great recruiters on your staff. He wouldn’t hire anyone who wasn’t dedicated to it. 

Harbaugh got one of the best when brought Partridge back, and the good news — he already had great ties in the east and northeast, but he’s since expanded his reach. Recruiting to Ole Miss required it.

“Relationships can be made anywhere if you work at them. I just know when we went down to Ole Miss, I knew I was going to recruit the northeast a little bit, but it wasn’t our main area there,” Partridge continued. “I had to form relationships at Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, which I never had before. I was able to stay in Georgia, which I had done at Michigan a little bit, which is a little easier because I had good relationships.”

He’s also had to adjust to the changing times. College football is different, recruiting wildly so, from when he arrived on the scene in 2015. 

“As s coach, staying with the times …  now I just don’t have to talk to their parents and the high school coaches . They have their 7 on 7 coaches, and their trainers, and now their marketing people, If you’re going to talk to these people, you’d better be able to speak to some of their language. So, do your research, studying, taking pride in doing that. 

“It’s not only a student of the game, It’s got to be a student of the recruiting game in college, as well. There are so many things. No. 1, it’s just the social media aspect of things. Schools that had to stay regional recruiting wise now can open up. Michigan is a little different. We’ve always been able to recruit nationally, but it opens them up even more, because social media you can find kids easier, kids can find you, kids can do research easier. It opens your world of recruiting up.”

Transfer portal has changed things, Partridge notes

Then there’s the transfer portal. Ole Miss was also about high school kids, of course, but their philosophy was different. They relied on a “bunch of transfer portal guys,” Partridge added. Michigan has signed 7 so far this year, but Harbaugh makes sure they are cultural fits, as well. 

But when you do that, you have to be wary of what the guys already on your team are thinking. So, you’ve got to continue to “recruit” your own roster, too, Partridge continued. 

“You’ve got to recruit the players you have on your team harder than the recruits you recruit outside, because you need those guys to be happy and want to play for you and all that, too,” he said. “Now, it’s ‘stay here.’ But back in the day we’d [just] want to keep them happy and motivated and all that. Now you do it because want them to stay at the school. 

“It’s just a huge part of it now. You’re constantly building relationships, mentoring, guiding those relationships on and off, inside our program outside your program. It’s really a 24/7 thing. I can’t tell you how many times I sit home at night, thing what recruits I haven’t connected enough with, players, haven’t I connected with, what families haven’t I called recently or texted. This whole gamut of things that come at you. 

The transfer portal has added to it, and now you have the whole NIL world, he noted.

“It’s another beast, another monster we’re dealing with,” Partridge said. 

But one he’ll likely figure out as a guy who has been one of college football’s most eager recruiters since he arrived at Michigan for his first stint nine years ago.