North Carolina football names Freddie Kitchens as interim head coach as Mack Brown departs

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham on Sunday announced that Freddie Kitchens would serve as interim head football coach for the Tar Heels until a new coach is hired.

The announcement came a day after Mack Brown coached his last game at UNC, a 35-30 loss to rival N.C. State at Kenan Stadium. The Tar Heels finished the season 6-6 and are expected to accept a bowl bid.

Kitchens, who has been in coaching more than 25 years, is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns. He joined the UNC staff in February 2023 as run game coordinator and tight ends coach.

“Freddie Kitchens is an incredibly talented coach who is respected by our student-athletes and staff,’’ Cunningham said in a statement. “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, 50, was in the NFL for 16 years before becoming a football analyst at South Carolina. After one year with the Gamecocks, he joined Brown’s staff at UNC.

Kitchens coached the Browns to a 6-10 record 2019 after serving as associate head coach and offensive coordinator.

Brown, the winningest football coach in UNC history, was fired Tuesday by Cunningham. His final function as head coach with the UNC football program was to be a dinner with the seniors on Sunday.