Run game coordinator and tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens will lead the UNC football program as its interim head coach, the school announced on Sunday. Kitchens will lead the Tar Heels in their bowl game, which will be announced next weekend.

“Freddie Kitchens is an incredibly talented coach who is respected by our student-athletes and staff,” said Carolina director of athletics Bubba Cunningham. “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 has extensive experience as a coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. He served as interim and then full-time head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and 2019 before a stint as tight ends coach with the New York Giants. He served as an analyst with South Carolina’s football program before coming to his current position at UNC in 2023. Kitchens’ other experience includes stops at LSU, North Texas, Mississippi State, the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

With Kitchens on staff, Carolina’s rushing attack has seen star Omarion Hampton post the second- and third-best rushing seasons in school history, including a 1,660-yard campaign in 2024. The tight end position has also been a major part of the UNC offense, with standouts John Copenhaver and Bryson Nesbit combining to catch 15 touchdown passes in the past two seasons.

Kitchens’ appointment comes after the firing of former UNC head coach Mack Brown, whose last official day on the job is Sunday, December 1. A national search is underway for Brown’s full-time replacement.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
'Nobody Likes to Lose': UNC Football Motivated by Frustrations of 2025 Season
The 2025 football season saw UNC end on a three-game losing streak. That in itself is, unfortunately for the Tar Heels, not entirely unique: Carolina lost three straight to end the 2024 and 2023 seasons and closed out the 2022 season on an ugly four-game slide. But it was the way in which the Tar […]
'Go Heels, Through and Through': UNC Football Speaks at the 2026 ACC Kickoff
Members of the UNC football team spoke to the media at the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte Friday. Head coach Bill Belichick, receiver Jordan Shipp, offensive lineman Christo Kelly and defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude addressed several topics, including the upcoming season and last year’s difficult campaign. Below are highlights from Friday’s media session: Melkart Abou-Jaoude […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Cost of Business
Carolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see. Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000. Here is where it gets interesting. The […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
UNC Football's Upcoming Home-and-Home Series With South Carolina Cancelled
The UNC football program’s upcoming home-and-home series against South Carolina has been cancelled. The Tar Heels were scheduled to visit Columbia in 2028 and host the Gamecocks in Chapel Hill in 2029. In a brief release, UNC said the expanded conference schedules in both the SEC and ACC, which will see schools play nine league […]
UNC Teases Kenan Stadium Enhancements as Venue Prepares to Celebrate 100 Years
The 2026 UNC football season will be the 100th in which the Tar Heels have called Kenan Stadium home, and the program is prepared to celebrate the historic venue with several upgrades and enhancements this fall. Two new video boards will be installed above each end zone, with both measuring 31.5 feet high by 106.5 […]
Chansky's Notebook: Draft Dodgers?
Bill Belichick and Michael Malone have found themselves in the same undesirable dilemma: neither has any draft picks.
'I Can Do This For a Long Time': Bobby Petrino Excited for New Challenge With UNC Football
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: UNC’s new offensive coordinator is known for more than just being a football coach. Ask Atlanta Falcons fans about Bobby Petrino’s antics. Or the folks in Louisville. Or Arkansas. The paper trail that follows Petrino everywhere he goes is long, and it bends toward absurdity. Egregiously […]
Chansky's Notebook: Dead Man Walking?
With Hubert Davis dismissed, no seat will be hotter in Chapel Hill than UNC head football coach Bill Belichick’s this fall.
Chansky's Notebook: 'We Have Our Team Now'
Bill Belichick spoke to the media at the Kenan Football Center Tuesday as UNC opened its spring practice season.
›