Pitt transfer defensive linemen credit assistant Charlie Partridge for tilting scale toward Pitt
Share this post:
Smoked wings on Carson Street, french fries and cole slaw on sandwiches and, of course, Charlie Partridge are among the benefits in and around town that made Pitt an attractive option for transfer football players this offseason.
Pat Narduzzi’s makeover of his 3-9 team began hours after the last game of the season in November, with Pitt’s coach firing four assistants — two who were with him for nine seasons — and hiring four to replace them.
Lyndon Cooper, guard/center from N.C. State, meets with reporters and talks about Pitt’s transfer class. pic.twitter.com/kXz9uw7Ift
— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) January 24, 2024
Plus, Narduzzi kept exploring the transfer portal like a bounty hunter while losing 10 players, including potential starting defensive linemen DeAndre Jules and Sam Okunlola, and adding 12.
Four new Pitt linemen met with reporters Wednesday to discuss their transition. They are defensive tackle Nick James (Indiana), defensive ends Nate Matlack (Kansas State) and David Ojiegbe (Clemson) and guard/center Lyndon Cooper (N.C. State).
What was most striking about the 30-minute session was how each of the defensive linemen credited Partridge’s presence on the coaching staff as a big reason why they chose Pitt.
“Coach P, obviously,” said Matlack, who said he knew nothing about Pitt or Partridge before he started studying possible transfer options after the season.
“He’s one of the greatest defensive line coaches in the country,” James said. “His teaching style, being able to explain little things and his love for the game is amazing to be around.”
“I can definitely grow as a man, as well as a football player,” Ojiegbe said of playing for Partridge.
Matlack said he did his homework before committing to Pitt.
“I really just went off of (Partridge’s) work,” he said, “and went off what I heard from other people (coaches also trying to recruit him). It seems like he has a lot of notoriety throughout the country. It seems like every time I said I was going to visit Pitt, (they said), ‘Coach Partridge is a great guy.’
“Doing some research myself, you can see the guys he’s produced (from J.J. Watt at Wisconsin to Calijah Kancey and others at Pitt). And the way he talks to guys, you can see how much he cares about people. That was probably the main reason: him.”
Picking the right school was especially important for Matlack, who stands 6-foot-5, 249 pounds with only one year of eligibility remaining.
“I wanted a scheme that fit me,.” said Matlack, who recorded 9 1/2 sacks in three seasons and was voted honorable mention Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2021. “With having one year left, I wanted to play fast, play aggressive. That’s what Pitt defense is about. Bringing pressure constantly. That’s exactly what I was looking for.”
Matlack hasn’t been in town long, but he’s already amazed at the many dining options compared to Manhattan, Kan. During his recruiting visit, he and his parents visited Primanti’s for a stuffed sandwich and the South Side for wings. He also has experienced the steep streets and hills on Pitt’s campus.
“I’m from Kansas,” he said. “Everything is flat everywhere. You can see for miles. I go to walk up the hill to go to the Pete, my calves are on fire. I even considered getting a scooter.”
He said it wasn’t easy to leave his native state, given his parents are Kansas State fans.
“That’s my blood,” he said. “I’ve always been a Kansas kid, Big 12 kid. That’s what I grew up in.”
But he said he adopted a “business mindset” after he decided to transfer.
“I’m trying to get where I want to go in this next year and, while doing that, just take this program to another level, back to where it was in 2021.”
Because of their similar situations, transfers and freshmen tend to bunch up and hang together on and off the practice field. With roots on either side of the line of scrimmage, James and Cooper have become friends — “My dog, Cooper,” James calls him — and they are eager to engage in friendly competition when spring drills begin in March.
James (6-2, 285 pounds) plans to earn the upper hand, whereas Cooper (6-2, 318) leans on his self-confidence.
“It’s going to be war all spring ball and fall camp,” Cooper said. “We’re going to see about that. I know personally in my game not too many people can manhandle me.”