Brewu's connection with Partridge grows on official visit
With his track record of coaching top-producing defensive lines and putting linemen in the NFL, Pitt assistant Charlie Partridge is a main attraction for defensive line recruits.
And when defensive tackle commit Francis Brewu took his official visit to Pitt this past weekend, much of the experience centered around spending time with Partridge.
“I was with Coach Partridge for basically the whole weekend,” Brewu told Panther-Lair.com. "We were always around each other, just talking and laughing. We watched some film, broke down some of my film and broke down some of their film, too. When we watched my film, he showed me clips that showed why I would fit into Pitt’s scheme. He had a couple clips that showed pass rushes and what I would do well and things I would do similar to what the college players are doing.
“When he showed me Pitt’s film, they’re all technicians. They all are very advanced with the technique. That’s the type of defensive lineman I aim to be.”
Brewu committed to Pitt during an unofficial visit in March, and he told Panther-Lair.com at the time that Partridge was a big part of the reason he picked the Panthers. During the official visit, he not only spent time with Partridge himself but also Pitt’s players who strongly endorsed the defensive line coach.
“I can tell he’s a genuine guy. He’s the real deal. His players all back that up, too: they say he doesn’t change from when he’s recruiting you to when you join the team. And he’s going to develop you because he’s one of the best D-line coaches in the game right now. He’s all a recruit can hope for when it comes to a coach.”
The official visit weekend was Brewu’s fourth visit to Pitt in the last five months. He attended the Panthers’ Junior Day in January and left campus with an offer; he returned in late March for the unofficial visit that led to his commitment; and he attended the Blue-Gold Game in April. In addition to spending time with Partridge, this latest visit gave Brewu a chance to see even more of what Pitt has to offer.
“It was awesome. It was better than I could have expected, just seeing everything and hanging out with the players and the coaches. It was great.
“This time, I really got to go around the campus and see the campus more. Most of the other visits, I was just at the facility, but this time I was really able to be on the campus and see the dorms. This was the first time I really got to hang out with the players, too. My host was Tyler Bentley; he said he loves the place and if you want to get developed, that’s the place to be.”
Brewu also made sure to share his thoughts on Pitt with the eight uncommitted recruits who were on the official visit.
“I kept saying, just look around. It’s obviously a brotherhood. Everyone is close. There’s not a lot of places where that’s the case.”