UNC Fires Offensive Coordinator Freddie Kitchens and Special Teams Coordinator

Let’s be real for a second: when Bill Belichick traded his hoodie for Carolina blue, we all expected fireworks. We just didn’t expect the kind that explodes in your face. After a brutal 4-8 debut season that left fans scratching their heads, the legendary coach has made his first major move. Freddie Kitchens is out.

The news dropped Friday morning that North Carolina is parting ways with its offensive coordinator, along with Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer. If you watched even a quarter of Tar Heels football this year, you probably aren’t shocked. The writing wasn’t just on the wall; it was spray-painted in bold letters across the end zone.

An Offense That Forgot How to Score

To say the offense struggled under Kitchens would be the understatement of the year. It was tough to watch. We’re talking about a unit that ranked 119th in the FBS in scoring, scraping together a measly 19.3 points per game. In the modern era of college football, where teams casually hang 50 points on the board, that’s just not going to cut it.

The yardage situation was even grimmer. North Carolina sat at 129th in total offense, managing just 288.8 yards per game. For a program with decent recruiting talent, being bottom-five nationally is a hard pill to swallow. Kitchens, who previously served as the Cleveland Browns head coach and had been with UNC since 2023, just couldn’t find a rhythm. The quarterback play was shaky, the run game was stagnant, and the explosive plays were nonexistent.

It’s a results-oriented business, and when the scoreboard looks that bleak, the guy calling the plays, Kitchens, usually takes the fall. Belichick might be loyal, but he also hates losing more than he hates sleeveless shirts in a snowstorm.

Special Teams, Special Problems

It wasn’t just the offense that led to this cleaning of house. Mike Priefer, a longtime NFL coaching veteran who followed Belichick to Chapel Hill, was also shown the door.

You can point to a few specific moments that likely sealed Priefer’s fate. The heartbreaking losses where special teams gaffes were the nail in the coffin stand out. Remember the Duke game? That fake field goal that set up the winning touchdown? Or the following week, when NC State pulled off a fake punt for a first down? Those are the kinds of plays that keep a coach like Belichick up at night.

What This Means For the Belichick Era

This shakeup signals that the honeymoon phase is officially over. Belichick’s statement was standard corporate politeness—thanking Kitchens and Priefer for their “commitment and many contributions”—but the message is loud and clear: 4-8 is unacceptable.

For Kitchens, this is another tough break in a rollercoaster coaching career. He stepped in as the interim head coach for the Fenway Bowl last season and stayed on to help usher in the new era, but the chemistry just wasn’t there on the field.

Now, the pressure shifts back to the head man. Belichick has to go out and find an offensive mind who can actually put points on the board. The novelty of having the GOAT on the sideline wears off pretty fast when you’re losing to rivals and struggling to cross the 50-yard line. The search is on, and for the sake of Tar Heel nation, let’s hope the next coordinator can cook up something better than what we saw this year.