UNC football head coach Bill Belichick announced 14 hires for his coaching staff on Monday afternoon.
Freddie Kitchens — formerly North Carolina's run game coordinator and tight ends coach before his brief stint as interim head coach — will serve as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.
Under Kitchens, the tight ends recorded 71 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, ranking top-five nationally in each category. After Mack Brown was fired, Kitchens served as interim head coach at the 2024 Fenway Bowl, where the Tar Heels fell, 27-14.
He will be joined by newly-named offensive line coach Will Friend, quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi, wide receivers coach Garrick McGee, running backs coach Natrone Means and offensive assistant Caleb Pickrell.
Steve Belichick, son of Bill Belichick, was named defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Prior to arriving in Chapel Hill, Steve Belichick served as defensive coordinator at Washington. He was the New England Patriots' defensive play-caller and linebackers coach in some capacity from 2020-23.
Steve Belichick will partner with his brother, Brian Belichick who will serve as the defensive backs and safeties coach. Also joining the defensive staff is defensive line coach Bob Diaco, cornerbacks coach Armand Hawkins, inside linebackers coach Jamie Collins and outside linebackers coach Ty Nichols.
Mike Priefer, a former college and NFL assistant, and Billy Miller, the former Patriots special teams coach under Bill Belichick for five months, are set to lead the special teams staff.
All 14 of the hires have coaching experience at the college or NFL level.
