CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina has named Tight Ends Coach as its interim head coach with Mack Brown having been fired last Monday and formally no longer in his position as of Sunday afternoon.
Brown, whose sixth season was his last at UNC, was fired by Director of Athletics, Bubba Cunningham, on Monday night. Brown disagreed with the decision and how the school wanted to go about handling it, but regardless, his last game was Saturday’s 35-30 loss at home to NC State.
The former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kitchens joined Brown’s staff two years ago and has also served as the Tar Heels’ run game coordinator.
Now with Brown gone, Kitchen steps into the role that could also include a bowl game. First, someone needs to steer the ship until a new head coach is named and settled in. Second, if the Tar Heels end up playing in a bowl game, Kitchens would be the head coach for the game while the new coach assembles a staff and builds a roster.
“Freddie Kitchens is an incredibly talented coach who is respected by our student-athletes and staff,’’ Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham in a release by the athletic department. “He is dedicated to doing all he can to help lead our program through this transition, and we appreciate his willingness to take on this role.”
Kitchens joined the Carolina Football program in February, 2023. He came to Chapel Hill after spending one season as a Senior Football Analyst at South Carolina following a 16-year run in the NFL that included a stint as the Cleveland Browns head coach and a trip to the Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals.
As for the possibility of not playing in a bowl, a source very close to the situation told THI on Saturday, “If enough players want to play, we will play.” Thirty-two seniors were honored before the game Saturday, seven of them are scholarship players with one more year of eligibility remaining. A scaled-down roster is a certainty, though having enough players to safely compete is to be determined.
According to a source very close to the situation, Kitchens is not currently regarded as a candidate to replace Brown as the full-time coach.***Freddie Kitchens UNC Bio***
