North Carolina names Kitchens interim head coach for bowl game

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina elevated former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens as its interim coach on Sunday for an upcoming bowl game after the firing of Mack Brown.

The school announced that Sunday was Brown's last day on the job after the Tar Heels closed the regular season with a 35-30 loss to rival N.C. State the day before. That marked the final game of Brown's second tenure in Chapel Hill, where the 73-year-old was the program's winningest coach.

The school announced last Tuesday that Brown wouldn't return as coach for 2025 after he reiterated his oft-stated plan to coach next season. After Saturday's loss to the Wolfpack, Brown said he wasn't angry about the decision but was disappointed in how it was handled.

Brown didn't take questions from reporters at his postgame news conference.

Kitchens has worked as the Tar Heels' run-game coordinator and tight ends coach the past two seasons. He previously worked as an analyst at South Carolina and spent 16 seasons in the NFL, including the 2019 season as the Browns' head coach.

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