North Carolina and Bill Belichick reportedly parting ways with offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens
Freddie Kitchens’ time at North Carolina is over.
According to On3, the former Cleveland Browns head coach won’t return for a second season as the offensive coordinator on Bill Belichick’s staff. Additionally, ESPN reported that special teams coach Mike Priefer has been fired.
Advertisement
Kitchens was retained by Belichick from Mack Brown’s staff after the ex-New England Patriots coach was hired in December of 2024. Kitchens was the team’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator in 2023 and 2024 and served as the interim coach in the Fenway Bowl at the end of the 2024 season after Brown’s departure. Kitchens was the only assistant who stayed at North Carolina from 2024 to 2025.
North Carolina’s offense struggled mightily in 2025. After the Tar Heels averaged nearly 31 points per game in a 6-7 season in 2024, UNC averaged just 19 points per game in 2025.
UNC didn’t score more than 27 points all season against an FBS opponent and had fewer than 20 points in seven games. The offense averaged just 4.9 yards a play and quarterbacks Gio Lopez, Max Johnson and Au’Tori Newkirk threw just 13 TD passes.
The possibility of Kitchens not returning to Chapel Hill was first publicly raised weeks ago as North Carolina scuffled to a 4-8 record and missed out on a bowl game for the first time in seven seasons. Instead of heading to the postseason in Belichick’s first season, the Tar Heels were blown out in their hyped Week 1 opener against TCU and then lost four straight games after wins over Charlotte and Richmond. UNC then closed the season on a three-game losing streak after back-to-back victories over Syracuse and Stanford.
Before working at UNC, Kitchens was an analyst for South Carolina for a season after working for two years with the Giants after his time with the Browns. Cleveland went 6-10 in his time in charge.
