North Carolina HC Bill Belichick reveals who he plans to hire first
12/12/2024 03:02 PM
North Carolina football is wasting little time in getting rolling under Bill Belichick. Now that the eight-time Super Bowl winner is in place, Belichick didn’t take long to announce his first coaching hire.
Addressing reporters one day his stunning hire, Belichick has his first assistant coach in place, per ESPN’s Andrea Adelson.
“Bill Belichick says interim coach/former Browns coach Freddie Kitchens will be the first member of the staff he hires,” Adelson posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Kitchens can breathe out relief, knowing he doesn’t need to clean out his coaching desk in Chapel Hill. Kitchens will serve as interim coach of UNC for the upcoming Fenway Bowl.
Belichick has familiarity with Kitchens. He coached against him in the NFL for a number of years. Kitchens coached in the league from 2006 to 2021. That includes his truncated head coaching role with the Cleveland Browns in 2019, which ended in a 6-10 season.
Kitchens since has stayed in the collegiate ranks. He joined South Carolina as a senior analyst in 2022. He then accepted the tight ends coach and run game coordinator role under previous UNC head coach Mack Brown in 2023.
The 50-year-old Kitchens is the first known assistant coach hire. Although, former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi was reportedly accepting a similar role on Belichick’s staff. Except Lombardi’s job involves more recruiting and helping with personnel decision, but no play-calling.
Belichick and UNC held its official press conference after the former New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns head coach accepted the Tar Heels’ offer. He’s now the 35th head coach in the program’s 121-year history.
Belichick has multiple tasks still to come in his new post. He’ll need to fill his first 2025 roster through late recruiting and finding talent in the transfer portal. Belichick will need to complete his staff too, including finding a new offensive and defensive coordinator. But keeping Kitchens became his first act during his first UNC press conference.
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