When University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema tried to hire Charlie Partridge two years ago, the timing was not right.

Partridge was in his third year as the defensive line coach at Pittsburgh and Bielema wanted him for the same job with the Badgers. When Partridge worked for coach Dan McCarney at Iowa State from 1998-2001, Bielema was the linebackers coach at Iowa and both of them recruited in Florida.

"Bret is a great recruiter," Partridge said Thursday. "It's funny, you go into an area and there are whatever number of guys that really work hard and grind. He's definitely one of those guys. I take pride in believing I'm one of those guys, too. So, we gravitated to each other."

So, when Bielema offered the defensive line job to Partridge again, he jumped at the chance.

"My wife (Julie) and I, we had this opportunity a couple years ago and for loyalty reasons -- we really love (Pitt) coach (Dave) Wannstedt ...," Partridge said. "This is something we're beyond excited about."

Partridge also will coach the specialists at UW. Randall McCray, who was the Badgers' defensive line coach the last two years, will coach outside linebackers and become the recruiting coordinator.

Dave Doeren, who had been the recruiting coordinator, was promoted to defensive coordinator last month. He also will continue to coach the linebackers.

"I tried to hire Charlie for my original staff ... so I'm very excited he'll be joining us," Bielema said in a statement. "He has a lot of experience and success on the defensive side of the ball, as well as with special teams.

"Charlie also brings a strong recruiting background in the state of Florida. He's going to be an excellent addition. This completes our transition to a new staff and I'm looking forward to spring practice and the 2008 season."

Partridge, 34, also has strong ties to Doeren. The two were college teammates at Drake, where Partridge was a NSCA All-America defensive lineman and graduated in 1995, one year after Doeren. They both also started their coaching careers there and lived together as young coaches.

"There's certainly a group of us that came from Drake, a number of us that are out there in the coaching ranks," Partridge said. "It's always been a dream for us, to get back together.

"Dave, as you guys now know, he's such a high-quality coach and recruiter. Hopefully, I've built a similar reputation. He's a special one and he's a friend."

Partridge came to Pitt under Walt Harris in 2003 and was retained when Wannstedt took over before the 2005 season. That's why Partridge didn't feel comfortable leaving a year later to join Bielema's first staff.

"Essentially, I was out of a job," Partridge said after Harris left for Stanford. "Coach Wannstedt came in, to make a long story short, he had the trust and faith to keep me on staff. I built a good relationship with him, but I couldn't leave Pitt after one year, do that to him."

Partridge coached the defensive line at Pitt for four years before moving to linebackers last season. Wannstedt encouraged it to help Partridge become a defensive coordinator some day.

Pitt ranked No. 5 nationally and led the Big East in total defense last season, allowing 297.7 yards per game. The defense shut down second-ranked West Virginia in a 13-9 upset in the final regular-season game.

A native of Plantation, Fla., Partridge has landed 22 players from his home state in five years. Doeren now recruits Florida for UW, but as defensive coordinator, some of his recruiting duties could be scaled back.

Partridge is looking forward to coaching the defensive line again.

"I love coaching the defensive line," he said. "I love everything it represents and am looking forward to working with these guys."