‘It Was Almost Fate’: Francis Brewu, Charlie Partridge Reunite at Notre Dame

When Francis Brewu entered the Transfer Portal, he immediately realized this recruitment would look nothing like the first one.

The former Pitt defensive tackle was immediately one of the most coveted prospects in the portal as he played a premium position at a high level. 

“It was hectic, but very exciting,” explained Brewu. “Out of high school, I wasn't the biggest recruit. Some of the top schools recruited me, but it was nothing like the transfer portal. It showed me how blessed I was. It showed me that my hard work paid off. 

“It was an awesome process to visit Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and a couple other schools that I had planned to go on visits. It was awesome, and I have a lot of respect for all the programs that recruited me and I'm really thankful for all the programs that recruited me.” 

Notre Dame had something others didn’t: Charlie Partridge.

Partridge originally recruited Brewu to Pitt but left for the NFL before coaching him, accepting a position with the Indianapolis Colts.

Their relationship never faded.

“I learned everything about him,” stated Brewu. “I have a real strong, deep history with Coach Partridge. That's a big reason why I'm here, if I'm being honest. He was the reason that I went to Pitt out of high school. He recruited me for multiple years out of high school. He recruited guys like me, developed guys like me and got them to the next level. That's why I chose him coming out of high school and that's why I chose him for, again, in the transfer portal.” 

What did Partridge see in Brewu as a high school prospect that few schools saw? 

It starts with strength and quickness. 

“Recruiting is not a science,” Partridge explained. “Fortunately, we were able to identify his talents early when I was at Pittsburgh. You saw a combination of strength and quickness. In my opinion, it's always a sliding scale in terms of size compared with quickness and strength. While he is on the shorter side of your prototypical D-tackle, he makes up for that with his strength and his ability to move.

“I'm excited to work with him. I'm excited now, finally coaching him, almost like it was fate.” 

Destiny. Fate. Whatever you want to call it brought both together in South Bend. Both will also experience better versions of the other as Brewu is seasoned and Partridge has even more in his toolbox after coaching in the NFL. 

“It was a blessing for both of us that he went to the NFL and got to experience what he experienced at the highest level because he learned from coaching the best guys,” said Brewu. “He's an even better coach because of that. He's learned how to coach at that level. He knows what the NFL demands. So now he can bring what the NFL demands and demand that from us. We're already prepared while we're in college to go compete when our name is called at the next level. It's huge.” 

As for Notre Dame, the Ohio native knew he fit on his visit, but also saw the power of the blue and gold a few weeks before he entered the portal. 

Brewu faced Notre Dame in November and noticed it was different than most home games at Pitt. 

“It happened to be College Game Day,” recalled Brewu. “I saw the amount of attention playing Notre Dame brings to other schools. They packed that stadium. That stadium was filled with Notre Dame fans, way more than I could ever expect. 

“They got us pretty good. We did our best, but they got us pretty good, so knowing I would be joining a team that competes truly at the highest level was huge for me. I want to be in those conversations, those playoff talks and whatnot, and that game against us last year, seeing what they had to offer proved to me that Notre Dame is at that level.” 

Another difference Brewu has experienced at Notre Dame is the depth on the defensive line. 

Yes, Brewu is like every other player and wants to be on the field, but he also understands the value of staying fresh, especially given Notre Dame’s big picture goals. 

“Of course, you want to be in there and get comfortable and whatnot, but you don't wanna be too tired,” Brewu said. “You know what I mean? If everybody's fresh, everybody's playing a high level of football. The depth of this room allows us to be fresh and maintain that level of high play. I think that's a benefit of having such a deep room.

“Any game can be different depending on who we're playing. But of course, you get enough reps to where you feel as though you helped the team and contributed. It's huge. I know we're gonna be fresh. I know that we're going to rotate a lot here.” 

Brewu has been at Notre Dame just over a month, but he’s already seen how close of a locker room the program has built. 

“The team culture here is huge, in terms of the tightness, the closeness of everybody,” said Brewu. “It's way better than I expected. I came in here with my head down, ready to work. But as I came in here with my head down, ready to work, I learned that these guys truly care about one another. They hang out with each other. It's a good time every single day.” 

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