Former Alabama QB, NFL head coach Freddie Kitchens joins South Carolina staff

Former Alabama quarterback Freddie Kitchens, who served as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach in 2019, has accepted a role as senior football analyst with South Carolina, per a press release. The offensive-minded coach spent the past two seasons with the New York Giants as a tight end coach and offensive coordinator.

Freddie Kitchens joins the South Carolina staff under head coach Shane Beamer, who he knows from their time together at Mississippi State in 2004 and 2005. After the former left for a role with the Dallas Cowboys, his new boss took on his role as running back coach in 2006.

Shane Beamer released a statement on the hire, referring to the familiarity between the two and the unique experience Freddie Kitchens can bring to the team.

“I worked with Freddie Kitchens previously at Mississippi State and have known him for close to 20 years,” said Coach Beamer. “He’s a fantastic coach with head coaching experience and coordinator experience. He’s a long-time NFL coach who will be a great asset and resource for our program and will help us in so many ways.”

The move back to the college ranks will be the first non-NFL job for Kitchens since 2005. In that gap, he worked with four different teams and built a 6-10 record as a head coach at the highest level.

More about Freddie Kitchens

The brotherhood of the 2005 Mississippi State coaching staff under head coach Sylvester Croom – who made history in his own right as the first Black head coach in SEC football history – continues to be felt in the college and professional ranks. After Freddie Kitchens was fired after just one season as head coach with the Cleveland Browns, he was quickly hired by New York Giants head coach and former Mississippi State graduate assistant Joe Judge.