Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema announced the promotion of Chris Ash and Charlie Partridge to co-defensive coordinators Tuesday. He also named Dave Huxtable linebackers coach.
Ash coached the much improved Wisconsin secondary in 2010. Three defensive backs were named to an all-Big Ten team following the season: Aaron Henry, Antonio Fenelus and Niles Brinkly.
Partridge coached the defensive line since 2008, including all-Big Ten honorees J.J. Watt and O’Brien Schofield.
Huxtable has coached at the collegiate level for nearly three decades. Most recently, he was the defensive coordinator at UCF. He helped UCF win a C-USA title and finish with a school record 11 wins. His defense finished among NCAA leaders in several statistical categories.
While the idea of co-defensive coordinators seems a bit silly at first, both men have certainly proven themselves as capable coaches. Chris Ash took a secondary that bumbled through the 2009 season and turned them into one of the top units in the Big Ten. In particular, watching the development of cornerback-turned-safety Aaron Henry was remarkable.
Partridge’s role in improving the defensive line was also crucial to the Badgers’ defensive turnaround. J.J. Watt was a tight end at Central Michigan before transferring to UW three years ago. Since then, under the careful watch of Partridge, Watt turned himself into a dominant defensive end and potential first-round pick. Additionally, the play of end Louis Nzegwu and the young Wisconsin interior lineman was really impressive down the stretch this season. Partridge undoubtedly had a lot to do with that.
The only reserve I have about the promotions is if the two new coordinators will be able to work together. It seems unlikely that they will be able to completely agree on everything, so it will be interesting to see how their roles develop as the seasons go on.
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