Charles Frederick Kitchens Jr. is an American football coach known for his work in both the NFL and NCAA. He has served as head coach for the Cleveland Browns and held assistant coaching positions with various teams, including the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys. His NCAA coaching experience includes stints at Mississippi State, North Texas, LSU, and Glenville State. Kitchens's tenure as the Browns' head coach in 2019 was marked by a disappointing 6-10 record, leading to his dismissal.
Freddie Kitchens was born on November 29, 1974.
Freddie Kitchens began his college football career as a quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1993.
Freddie Kitchens and the Alabama Crimson Tide won the Citrus Bowl in 1995.
In 1997, Freddie Kitchens finished his college football career with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In 2006, Freddie Kitchens joined the Dallas Cowboys as tight ends coach under Bill Parcells, marking his entry into NFL coaching.
Freddie Kitchens started his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals coaching staff in 2007.
In 2008, during Freddie Kitchens' second year with the team, the Arizona Cardinals made their first-ever Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl XLIII), where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Freddie Kitchens had to undergo emergency surgery in 2013 to repair an aortic dissection.
Freddie Kitchens' time with the Arizona Cardinals came to an end in 2017.
Freddie Kitchens was hired as the running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2018.
On January 12, 2019, Freddie Kitchens was promoted to head coach of the Cleveland Browns, becoming the 17th head coach in the franchise's history and the ninth since the team's 1999 reactivation.
On September 8, 2019, Freddie Kitchens made his head coaching debut with the Cleveland Browns, which ended in a 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans, marking the Browns' 15th straight Week One loss.
In 2019, Freddie Kitchens was fired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns after a disappointing 6-10 season.
The New York Giants hired Freddie Kitchens as their tight ends coach on January 27, 2020, a move strongly supported by new Giants head coach Joe Judge, who had previously worked with Kitchens at Mississippi State.
In 2021, Freddie Kitchens' role with the New York Giants shifted; he became the senior offensive assistant and later served as the interim offensive coordinator following Jason Garrett's firing. He was let go after the season when Judge was fired.
On May 18, 2022, Freddie Kitchens took on the role of senior analyst for the South Carolina Gamecocks under head coach Shane Beamer.
Reports surfaced on February 27, 2023, that Freddie Kitchens was joining Mack Brown's staff at North Carolina as tight ends coach, replacing John Lilly.
On March 1, 2023, Freddie Kitchens was officially introduced as North Carolina's tight ends coach at a press conference marking the start of spring practice.