Charlie Partridge arrived at Notre Dame this offseason with plenty to learn about his new defensive line.
A couple weeks into his first preseason camp with the Irish, the veteran defensive line coach has learned enough to know the group may allow him to do more than he initially anticipated.
The Football IQ within the room has enabled Partridge to move faster schematically, while the depth is creating legitimate competition both inside and on the edge.
"If you told me, ‘Give me one word,’ it would be their intelligence," Partridge said following Wednesday's practice. "Then you can go beyond that. Notre Dame is different. We have intelligent kids. We have savvy kids. We have kids that are aware."
That intelligence has given Partridge the opportunity to challenge his players beyond just the physical demands of preseason camp.
"They are still kids," he said. "Don't lose that word that I said there, because sometimes you have to help them navigate the challenges that come with camp.
"But their intelligence and awareness have allowed us to go deep into the playbook, to challenge them physically, challenge them with how much we throw at them from a scheme standpoint. And they've handled it well. They've lived up to the bar that I had when I walked in. So that accelerates how fast you're able to move."
Partridge, who arrived at Notre Dame after spending the previous two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, has been impressed by how quickly his new players have absorbed defensive coordinator Chris Ash's system.
He expected the Irish to be able to handle a heavy workload, but they've proven capable of being pushed even harder than he thought.
"I anticipated moving fast, because I had this vision of them," Partridge said. "I'm moving even a little faster than I thought I'd be able to. Yeah, it's fun."
The depth of the room has been another encouraging development.
On the interior, Partridge isn't prepared to declare a starting combination and doesn't necessarily believe doing so is especially important yet. The Irish have multiple players pushing for those spots, with Sean Sevillano Jr. among those who have elevated themselves during camp.
"We're still working our way through that, who the first two would be," Partridge said. "But I agree with you that we have four to six that we can have some success with, to the credit of the guys. Sean is certainly a name that has risen into that group.
"We'll see who starts those first two. I wouldn't declare who those two are right now. Because we've got another couple of weeks until game time. But it could really be any of that crew."
There is a little more clarity on the edge.
Bryce Young and Boubacar Traore have established themselves as the top two defensive ends at this point, but Partridge believes Keon Keeley, Loghan Thomas and Rodney Dunham have also separated themselves enough to give Notre Dame five players it feels good about.
"Right now, you would say they're our top two," Partridge said of Young and Traore. "There's significant improvement by them, but also by Keon, LT. Rodney is certainly in the mix right there. The other guys are in the developmental phase. But we feel good about those five right now."
Young's development has been particularly noticeable.
The junior has become leaner and stronger while improving technically, allowing his natural explosiveness to show up more consistently.
"He's moving really well," Partridge said. "I couldn't quote his weight right now. But he's hovered around the same weight. He's just leaner, and he's stronger. He's in a really good place."
For Partridge, the next step isn't about making any dramatic change to Young's game as much as identifying small details that can make him better.
"You're always moving on to the next thing, that next little thing that you're trying to work on to help him improve his game from where he is," Partridge said. "Some of those things, he's got nailed. Some of them, he's still working on. And we've moved on to some other things.
"He's done a really nice job improving his technique. And we're just constantly, daily, trying to find every little advantage we can. And he's embraced that."
Those technical improvements are making Young's physical gifts even more obvious.
"He's more explosive now than he was in the spring," he said. "Certainly, he's getting his body in position where his explosive talent is showing up more."
Keeley's progress has come from a different place.
The Alabama transfer spent much of the spring learning new terminology. Now that he no longer has to mentally translate Notre Dame's calls into language he previously learned, Partridge is seeing him play more instinctively.
"I'm encouraged by how well he's embraced the playbook and all the things that we're throwing at him," Partridge said. "In the spring, it was a translation game for him. He's translating the words. You know, ‘Oh, this is like this at Alabama.’ Things like that.
"He's past that now and playing faster. And now you're starting to see his talent shine. It's hard for your talent to really shine when you're thinking on so many levels. That's kind of where he was in the spring. Now you're starting to see him execute and cut it loose. It's been fun to see his progress this camp."
Thomas presents another option, albeit one Partridge may need to use differently.
At 221 pounds, Thomas’ quickness and power remain his greatest assets. Partridge believes Notre Dame can put him in situations that accentuate those traits while protecting him from some of the disadvantages that come with being a lighter defensive end.
"He is powerful, even for his size," Partridge said. "He is really, really quick. And so those are things we can take advantage of in the right way."
The depth isn't limited to the edge.
Partridge was involved in convincing Armel Mukam to return to Notre Dame after Mukam entered the transfer portal this offseason. Before Partridge even arrived in South Bend, Ash asked him to evaluate Mukam's film.
"I took a look at his film, actually, before I got into town," Partridge said. "Chris asked me to take a look at his film. And then I engaged with Armel. At that time, I was looking at his raw ability, his ability to move, his ability to bend, how hard he played. And those were things I wanted to be a part of."
Getting to know Mukam only strengthened that opinion.
"I got a chance to get on the phone with him and I felt his personality," Partridge said. "That's something I wanted to be around. And I'm thrilled he's here. I'd be shocked if he doesn't play some really, really good football for the Irish this year."
Jason Onye has impressed Partridge in a different way.
After everything Onye has experienced during his Notre Dame career, he entered camp hoping to earn a captaincy. Partridge doesn't know whether that will happen, but he doesn't need a vote to recognize the leadership qualities Onye possesses.
"Whether he gets voted a captain or not, he has captain qualities," Partridge said. "He's constantly helping the younger guys. He's constantly holding the guys accountable."
One example came away from the coaching staff during the summer, when Onye put together a PowerPoint presentation for a project Partridge had assigned the defensive line.
Onye didn’t share the project with Partridge, but another player told the coach.
"It was one of the most impressive presentations put together by a player I've seen in, I think this is my 31st year of coaching," Partridge said.
"Again, Notre Dame's different."
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