Charlie Partridge has his first major recruiting test in front of him as Notre Dame tries to close on a 5-star everyone wants
Notre Dame DL coach Charlie Partridge has an early chance to flex his recruiting muscles.
Notre Dame football has done a lot of great things this offseason, including the addition of new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge. The former Pitt and Indianapolis Colts assistant coach hit the ground running right in the midst of the transfer portal chaos. He ended up being a huge reason why Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish were able to land defensive end Keon Keeley (Alabama), and defensive tackles Francis Brewu (Pitt) and Tionne Gray (Oregon). The early impact was great to see.
Now that the dust has settled, all eyes are now on the recruiting operation for Partridge until spring practice kicks off. Al Washington did a nice job of building a strong board for the 2027 recruiting class, and now Partridge needs to once again hit the ground running to keep the early momentum. Perhaps the biggest test is going to be just how well Partridge can close on elite Orange (Calif.) Lutheran defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou, a priority player that Partridge was out to visit this week.
From a pure talent perspective, Fakatou’s game is eerily similar to former USC All-American Leonard Williams. Ever since Fakatou visited and camped in South Bend last offseason, the California native quickly became a priority for the team. Nothing has changed since Partridge took over the talented defensive front with the Irish. Fakatou remains arguably the biggest priority on the board for the team, either him or Chicago native Brayden Parks.
Stealing a talent like Fakatou away from the West Coast, and especially from USC, would be huge for Notre Dame. As of today, I love where the Irish are in that recruitment. Partridge has an early opportunity to flex his recruiting muscles with one of the more dominant defensive linemen to come out over the last few years.
Marcus Fakatou’s recruiting background
Fakatou is extremely well-liked by the major recruiting services so far. In the early 247 Sports ranking for the 2028 recruiting class, the California native was rated as the No. 3 overall player, No. 1 defensive lineman, and No. 1 player in the state of California. Even with Fakatou reclassifying to the 2027 class, he is still considered to be an elite-level prospect. On the Composite ranking, he is rated as a five-star recruit, the No. 35 overall player, the No. 2 defensive lineman, and the No. 3 player from the state of California.
Even though Fakatou made that reclassification jump, a long list of impressive programs has already been pursuing him. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, SMU, BYU, Arizona State, Missouri, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, Syracuse, and Cal, among others.
Even as a “freshman” in 2024, Fakatou made a lot of plays for a very talented Orange Lutheran squad. The 6-6, 275-pound athlete managed to record 28 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He was even better in 2025, finishing the season with 69 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and eight blocked kicks. The inside-out versatility is tremendous.
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