Michigan football loses top recruiter Chris Partridge to Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin

Michigan football's top recruiter is leaving for the SEC.

Mississippi football announced on Thursday morning that Chris Partridge, the Wolverines' safeties and special teams coach, was joining Lane Kiffin's staff.

Partridge was one of Jim Harbaugh's first hires at U-M, first as the director of player personnel in 2015 and then as linebackers and special teams coach. He has been one of Harbaugh's longest-tenured assistants at Michigan since he became an on-field coach in 2016.

ESPN reported on Monday that Kiffin, just hired by Ole Miss as its new head coach, was targeting Partridge to become his defensive coordinator. 


Michigan assistant coach Chris Partridge on Aug. 7, 2016 at Michigan Stadium. (Photo: Salwan Georges, Detroit Free Press)

Known as a fierce recruiter, Partridge, the former head coach at Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, had a big hand in Michigan acquiring Rashan Gary, the No. 1 prospect for the class of 2016. He also helped land top recruits such as five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, four-star center Cesar Ruiz and four-star linebacker Drew Singleton. Partridge was named recruiter of the year by 247Sports for his efforts during the 2017 cycle. 

Ole Miss is also hiring D.J. Durkin, who was Harbaugh's first defensive coordinator at U-M in 2015. Durkin went on to be the head coach at Maryland, but was fired in 2018 after he was suspended after allegations of fostering a toxic culture within the Terrapins' program.

Durkin reportedly tried to hire Partridge, then Michigan's director of player personnel, for an on-field role at Maryland. 

SOURCE: Sang, Orion. "Michigan football loses top recruiter Chris Partridge to Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin." Detroit Free Press, 2 January 2020, https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2020/01/02/michigan-football-chris-partridge-ole-miss/2794948001/

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang.