Another fresh face will join the Badger football team this spring, only this time the new addition will be on the sidelines and not the playing field.

One day after the signing of 24 new scholarship players, the UW football team hired Charlie Partridge, a former assistant with the University of Pittsburgh, to take control of the defensive line and specialist coaching duties. The move will shift Randall McCray, the previous defensive line coach to recruiting coordinator and outside linebackers coach.

“I tried to hire Charlie for my original staff here at Wisconsin, so I’m very excited he’ll be joining us,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “He has a lot of experience and success on the defensive side of the ball as well as with special teams.”

While at Pittsburgh, Partridge helped assemble a feisty Panther defense that ranked No. 5 nationally in total defense and shocked West Virginia in the final regular season game of the season, derailing any hopes of a Mountaineer national championship berth.

With his new team, Partridge will have the luxury of coaching three returning defensive linemen when spring practice begins: seniors Mike Newkirk, Jason Chapman and Matt Shaughnessy and future sophomore Kirk DeCremer.

Last season the UW football team allowed over four yards per rush, and 134 yards per game from opposing teams, placing it No. 42 nationally in that category. —uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.