Bringing a wealth of experience to the Lumberjacks, Jerry Partridge joined the program as the team's defensive coordinator before the 2019 season. Partridge, who spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Delta State (Miss.), was the head coach at NCAA Division II Missouri Western State for 20 seasons (1997-2016) and is the winningest coach in program history with 149 career victories.

In his first year as Northern Arizona's defensive coordinator, Partridge oversaw a second All-Big Sky First Team season by cornerback Khalil Dorsey. Following the 2021 Spring season, Morgan Vest earned a unanimous All-Big Sky First Team honor at safety while linebacker Harrison Beemiller and safety Anthony Sweeney earned second team honors and defensive end Carson Taylor and linebacker Tristen Vance were honorable mentions. Four more Lumberjacks earned All-Big Sky honors after the fall 2021 season, with Vest named All-Big Sky Second Team while Taylor, Vance and Beemiller earned All-Big Sky Honorable Mention.

Partridge guided Missouri Western to 11 straight winning seasons, four NCAA Division II playoff berths, two conference titles and six bowl game appearances.  His 2012 team advanced to the NCAA National Quarterfinals after finishing with a 12-2 record and were ranked as high as No. 4 nationally – one of his 12 nationally ranked squads.
 
He was honored as Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Coach of the Year on two occasions (2000, 2012) and has had more than 15 of his players invited to NFL camps.  Partridge was inducted into the Missouri Western Hall of Fame in 2011.
 
Prior to Missouri Western, Partridge spent a season as defensive backs coach at Murray State (1996), where he helped lead the Racers to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship with an 11-2 record.  Murray State advanced to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA I-AA Playoffs and ranked sixth nationally in pass defense and seventh in overall defense.
 
Partridge had a previous stint at Missouri Western (1991-95) as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.  He also spent one year as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Austin Peay (1990) and was a graduate assistant on the Notre Dame squad that captured the 1988 National Championship.  He began his career as a graduate assistant at Missouri in 1986.