Freddie Kitchens

American football player and coach (born 1974)

American football player

Freddie Kitchens

Kitchens with the Cleveland Browns in 2019

North Carolina Tar Heels
Position:| Offensive coordinator
Personal information
Born:|  (1974-11-29) November 29, 1974 (age 50)
Gadsden, Alabama, U.S.
Career information
High school:| Attalla (AL) Etowah
College:| Alabama (1993–1997)
Career history

As a coach:

* Glenville State (1999)
Running backs coach & tight ends coach
* LSU (2000)
Graduate assistant
* North Texas (2001–2003)
Running backs coach
* Mississippi State (2004)
Tight ends coach
* Mississippi State (2005)
Running backs coach
* Dallas Cowboys (2006)
Tight ends coach
* Arizona Cardinals (2007–2012)
Tight ends coach
* Arizona Cardinals (2013–2016)
Quarterbacks coach
* Arizona Cardinals (2017)
Running backs coach
* Cleveland Browns (2018)
Associate head coach & running backs coach
* Cleveland Browns (2018)
Interim offensive coordinator
* Cleveland Browns (2019)
Head coach
* New York Giants (2020)
Tight ends coach
* New York Giants (2021)
Senior offensive assistant & interim offensive coordinator
* South Carolina (2022)
Senior analyst
* North Carolina (2023–2024)
Tight ends coach and run game coordinator
* North Carolina (2024)
Interim head coach
* North Carolina (2025–present)
Offensive coordinator

Head coaching record
Regular season:| 6–10 (.375)
Career:| NFL: 6–10 (.375)
NCAA: 0–1 (.000)
Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference

Charles Frederick Kitchens Jr. (born November 29, 1974) is an American football coach who serves as the offensive coordinator[1] for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Kitchens was previously tight ends coach and run game coordinator, and later the interim head coach for the Tar Heels' 2024 bowl game prior to the hiring of Bill Belichick.[2][3] He has served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and an assistant coach for the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). He has also spent stints as an assistant coach with Mississippi State, North Texas, LSU and Glenville State of the NCAA. He was fired in 2019 after his lone season as a head coach when his Browns team ended with a 6–10 record.

## Playing career

[edit]

Freddie Kitchens was a quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1993 to 1997, during which time he threw for 4,668 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. In his three seasons as a starter, Alabama won the 1995 Citrus Bowl, and the 1997 Outback Bowl.[4]

At the time of his departure, he ranked third in the school's history in career passing attempts, fourth in career passing yards, and fifth in career completions.[5]

During his time at Alabama, Kitchens was given the nickname Thick by offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.[6]

### Statistics

[edit]

Season  | Games  | Passing  | Rushing

|
|
|

GP | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD
Alabama Crimson Tide
1993 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 50.0 | 188 | 13.4 | 2 | 3 | 167.1 | 8 | -12 | -1.5 | 0
1994 | DNP
1995 | 7 | 63 | 127 | 49.6 | 811 | 6.4 | 3 | 5 | 103.2 | 50 | 53 | 1.1 | 0
1996 | 12 | 153 | 302 | 50.3 | 2,124 | 7.0 | 14 | 14 | 115.4 | 86 | -127 | -1.5 | 1
1997 | 11 | 121 | 237 | 51.1 | 1,545 | 6.5 | 11 | 4 | 117.8 | 48 | 15 | 0.3 | 1
Career[7] | 36 | 343 | 680 | 50.4 | 4,668 | 6.9 | 30 | 26 | 115.0 | 192 | -71 | -0.4 | 2

## Coaching career

[edit]

### Dallas Cowboys

[edit]

Following his college playing career, he served as an assistant coach for several college teams, before joining the Dallas Cowboys staff as tight ends coach in 2006[8] under Bill Parcells.

### Arizona Cardinals

[edit]

Kitchens then worked on the Arizona Cardinals staff for 11 years, from 2007 to 2017. In 2008, Kitchens' 2nd year with the team, the Cardinals appeared in Super Bowl XLIII, their first Super Bowl in franchise history but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23. He coached multiple positions, including tight ends, quarterbacks, and running backs.[9]

### Cleveland Browns

[edit]

#### 2018

[edit]

In 2018, Kitchens was hired as running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns.[10]

On October 29, after week 8 of the season, the Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Gregg Williams was named interim head coach, and Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator.[11] The Browns finished the season with a 5–3 record, after a 2–5–1 start under Jackson. Kitchens was credited for the improvement of the Browns offense and was also acknowledged for helping Baker Mayfield have a successful rookie season. Mayfield was the runner-up for NFL rookie of the year.

#### 2019

[edit]

On January 12, 2019, Kitchens was promoted to the head coaching position by the Cleveland Browns.[12] He was the 17th head coach in Browns history, and the ninth since the franchise's reactivation in 1999.[13]

On September 8, 2019, the Browns lost to the Tennessee Titans by a score of 43–13 in Kitchens' head coaching debut. The loss marked the 15th consecutive Week 1 without a win for the Browns. Kitchens was fired a few hours after the final game of the season, a 33–23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns finished the season with a disappointing 6–10 record.[14]

### New York Giants

[edit]

On January 27, 2020, the New York Giants hired Kitchens as their tight ends coach.[15] His hiring was strongly supported by newly hired Giants head coach Joe Judge, who had worked with Kitchens at Mississippi State. The two are reportedly good friends.[16] When Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Giants' Sunday night game against the Cleveland Browns, Kitchens' former team, Kitchens was named offensive coordinator and play-caller for the game.[17] The Giants would go on to lose to the Browns 20-6.[18] It was announced for the 2021 season he would switch positions and become senior offensive assistant.[19] Following the firing of Jason Garrett, Kitchens was named interim offensive coordinator for the Giants. Kitchens was released after the 2021 season following the firing of Judge.

### South Carolina

[edit]

On May 18, 2022, Kitchens was hired to be a senior analyst for the South Carolina Gamecocks under head coach Shane Beamer.[20]

### North Carolina

[edit]

On February 27, 2023, it was reported that Kitchens was joining Mack Brown's staff at North Carolina as tight ends coach, replacing John Lilly.[2] He was formally introduced on March 1, 2023, at the team's press conference to kick off spring practice. After Brown's dismissal at the end of the 2024 season, Kitchens was named interim head coach for the Fenway Bowl.[21] The Tar Heels were defeated by Connecticut in the bowl game.

Kitchens was retained by Belichick for the 2025 season, being promoted to offensive coordinator.[1]

## Personal life

[edit]

Kitchens has two daughters with his wife, Ginger.[22]

In 2013, Kitchens underwent emergency surgery to repair an aortic dissection.[22][23]

## Head coaching record

[edit]

### NFL

[edit]

Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason

|
|
|

Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result
CLE | 2019 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | —
Total | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 |  | 0 | 0 | .000 |

### College

[edit]

Year  | Team  | Overall  | Conference | Standing  | Bowl/playoffs

|
|
|
|
|

North Carolina Tar Heels (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2024)
2024 | North Carolina | 0–1 |  |  | L Fenway
North Carolina: | 0–1 |  |
Total: | 0–1 |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Nightingale, Cory (December 31, 2024). "Bill Belichick expected to name Freddie Kitchens as OC on UNC staff, per report". saturdaydownsouth.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
2. ^ a b Martin, Ross (February 27, 2023). "UNC to Hire Freddie Kitchens as New Tight End Coach". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
3. ^ "New Era Begins For Tar Heel Football". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
4. ^ Edwards, Josh (November 29, 2018). "Freddie Kitchens has fun at Nick Chubb's expense in practice". Retrieved January 8, 2019.
5. ^ "Freddie Kitchens". www.clevelandbrowns.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
6. ^ Kinnamon, Casey (August 23, 2019). "Freddie Kitchens and Bruce Arians come full circle". dawgpounddaily.com. fansided. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
7. ^ "Freddie Kitchens College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
8. ^ "New TE Coach Kitchens Makes Jump To NFL". DallasCowboys.com. June 29, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
9. ^ Cabot, Mary Kay (January 8, 2019). "Freddie Kitchens has a good chance of being named the Browns head coach, sources say". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
10. ^ Risdon, Jeff (January 24, 2018). "Browns hire Freddie Kitchens as new RB coach". USA Today. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
11. ^ Bielik, Tim (October 29, 2018). "Freddie Kitchens named Browns offensive coordinator: Get to know more about him". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
12. ^ Gribble, Andrew (January 12, 2019). "Freddie Kitchens named Browns head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
13. ^ "Cleveland Browns Coaches". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
14. ^ McConnell, Martin (September 8, 2019). "Cleveland Browns: Week 1 loss to Tennessee instant reactions". Dawg Pound Daily. Fansided.
15. ^ Ranaan, Jordan (January 27, 2020). "Ex-Browns coach Freddie Kitchens joins Giants as tight ends coach, source says". ESPN. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
16. ^ Benton, Dan (January 28, 2020). "Giants' Joe Judge 'was adamant' that Freddie Kitchens join his staff". USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
17. ^ Eisen, Michael (December 17, 2020). "Jason Garrett tests positive for COVID-19; Freddie Kitchens to call plays vs. Browns". Giants.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
18. ^ New York Giants. "Freddie Kitchens on calling plays vs. Browns". New York Giants.
19. ^ Rivardo, Anthony (July 26, 2021). "New York Giants: Freddie Kitchens's promotion could lead to a more vertical offense". Empire Sports Media. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
20. ^ Lananna, Michael (May 18, 2022). "Freddie Kitchens, former NFL head coach, join's South Carolina football staff". Charlotteobserver.com.
21. ^ "Freddie Kitchens Named Football Interim Head Coach". goheels.com. University of North Carolina Athletics. December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
22. ^ a b Somers, Kent (June 5, 2013). "Cardinals QB coach undergoes emergency heart surgery". USA Today. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
23. ^ Reed, Jesse (January 9, 2020). "Giants HC Joe Judge looking into signing Freddie Kitchens to offensive staff". yardbarker.com. Retrieved January 10, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* North Carolina profile

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Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterbacks

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* Tutwiler (1897)
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* Namath (1962–1964)
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* Trimble (1966)
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* Hayden (1970)
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* G. Rutledge (1973)
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* J. Rutledge (1976–1978)
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* Coley (1981)
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* D. Smith (1987–1988)
* Dunn (1987–1989)
* Hollingsworth (1989–1990)
* Woodson (1991)
* Barker (1991–1994)
* Burgdorf (1993, 1995)
* Kitchens (1995–1997)
* L. Tucker (1997)
* Phillips (1998)
* Zow (1998–2001)
* Watts (1999–2002)
* Croyle (2002–2005)
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* Avalos (2003)
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* Buchner (2023)

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Cleveland Browns head coaches

* Paul Brown (1946–1962)
* Blanton Collier (1963–1970)
* Nick Skorich (1971–1974)
* Forrest Gregg (1975–1977)
* Dick Modzelewski # (1977)
* Sam Rutigliano (1978–1984)
* Marty Schottenheimer (1984–1988)
* Bud Carson (1989–1990)
* Jim Shofner # (1990)
* Bill Belichick (1991–1995)
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* Terry Robiskie # (2004)
* Romeo Crennel (2005–2008)
* Eric Mangini (2009–2010)
* Pat Shurmur (2011–2012)
* Rob Chudzinski (2013)
* Mike Pettine (2014–2015)
* Hue Jackson (2016–2018)
* Gregg Williams # (2018)
* Freddie Kitchens (2019)
* Kevin Stefanski (2020–present)

# denotes interim head coach

* v
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North Carolina Tar Heels head football coaches

* Hector Cowan (1888)
* No coach (1889)
* No team (1890)
* William P. Graves (1891)
* No coach (1892–1893)
* Vernon K. Irvine (1894)
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* Arthur Brides (1909–1910)
* Branch Bocock (1911)
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* Thomas Trenchard (1913–1915)
* Thomas J. Campbell (1916)
* No team (1917–1918)
* Thomas J. Campbell (1919)
* Myron Fuller (1920)
* Bill Fetzer & Bob Fetzer (1921–1925)
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* Raymond Wolf (1936–1941)
* Jim Tatum (1942)
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* Carl Torbush (1998–2000)
* John Bunting (2001–2006)
* Butch Davis (2007–2010)
* Everett Withers # (2011)
* Larry Fedora (2012–2018)
* Mack Brown (2019–2024)
* Freddie Kitchens # (2024)
* Bill Belichick (2025– )

# denotes interim head coach
*[DNP]: Did not play
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