North Carolina has officially named Freddie Kitchens as its next tight ends coach and running game coordinator.

Kitchens comes to Chapel Hill after a lengthy NFL career that included a stint as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach.

Here’s UNC’s announcement:

“We’re excited to welcome Freddie, his wife Ginger, and their daughters Bennett and Camden to the Carolina football family,” head coach Mack Brown said in a release. “Freddie brings a wealth of experience as a head coach, a coordinator and a position coach. We were really impressed with his resume and believe he will mesh nicely with the other members of the staff. In fact, Freddie and our new cornerbacks coach Jason Jones played together at Alabama. Freddie has a great offensive mind and his experience will be invaluable both in the meeting rooms and on the field. We’re looking forward to getting the Kitchens to Chapel Hill and can’t wait to see him work with our talented tight ends group.”

Kitchens was most recently an analyst for South Carolina in 2022. Prior to that, he was an offensive assistant and interim offensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 2021.

 

What this means for the Tar Heels

North Carolina has been working to fill out its coaching staff after it had a number of departures this offseason. Kitchens replaces John Lilly, who left this offseason to accept a job with the Carolina Panthers.

The tight end position is an important one in Carolina’s offense. Both Kamari Morales and Bryson Nesbitt played big roles in UNC’s passing attack last season, catching 4 touchdowns apiece. Quarterback Drake Maye is expected to spread the ball around again in 2023.

North Carolina’s spring game is on April 15.