Desmond Kitchings facts for kids
| Virginia Cavaliers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 19, 1978 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Wagener-Salley (SC) |
| College: | Furman (1996–1999) |
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 7 / Pick: 207 |
| Career history | |
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| As coach: | |
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Desmond "Des" Kitchings, born on July 19, 1978, is an American football coach. He used to play as a wide receiver, which is a player who catches passes. Today, he is the offensive coordinator for the Virginia Cavaliers football team. An offensive coordinator helps plan how the team will score points.
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Des Kitchings: His Playing Days
Desmond Kitchings played college football at Furman University. He was a receiver and a "return specialist." A return specialist is a player who catches kicks from the other team and tries to run them back for a lot of yards.
College Football Highlights
At Furman, Kitchings was very good at returning kicks. He averaged almost 30 yards every time he returned a kick. He even set a school record by scoring four touchdowns from kick returns.
NFL Draft Experience
After college, Kitchings was chosen by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000 NFL draft. The NFL draft is where professional football teams pick new players from college. Even though he was drafted, he did not play in any professional NFL games.
Coaching Career Journey
After his playing days, Desmond Kitchings started coaching football. He has coached for several college and professional teams, helping players improve their skills.
Early Coaching Roles
Kitchings began his coaching career at his old college, Furman. From 2004 to 2007, he coached the tight ends and special teams. A tight end is a player who can block and catch passes. The special teams are the players who handle kicks, punts, and returns.
He then coached at Vanderbilt for three seasons. There, he coached running backs and special teams. Running backs are players who mostly run with the ball. For one of those years, he was also a co-offensive coordinator.
Coaching at Air Force and NC State
In 2011, Kitchings coached running backs for the Air Force team. After that, he spent eight seasons coaching at NC State. He coached running backs and tight ends there. For some of those years, he was also an assistant head coach or a co-offensive coordinator.
Recent Coaching Positions
In 2020, Kitchings was the running backs coach for the South Carolina team. In 2021, he moved to the professional league, becoming the running backs coach for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL.
After his first season with the Falcons, it was announced that he would become the offensive coordinator for the Virginia Cavaliers. He has been in this role since 2022, also coaching tight ends.
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