Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY — After putting his mark on the Newberry College football program during his time with the team, graduate Deshun Kitchings (Aiken) has signed as an Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA) with the Chicago Bears, following in the footsteps of David Vereen who signed with the Ravens last season.
“First off, I just want to give Newberry thanks for giving me an opportunity at getting a high level college education while also allowing me to continue my football dreams coming out of high school in 2018,” said Kitchings.” That is what I’m most grateful for because my teammates, coaching staff and community showed me so much love and appreciation while I was there. Special thanks to Coach Deke Herrin for giving me all the tools on and off the field to able to get this far in life, he showed why it’s bigger than football in the Newberry family. Everyone I encountered helped fuel my hunger and passion to be the best so I could get the opportunity that I have gotten and I couldn’t give them enough thanks to the for all they have done.”
Kitchings was named to the First-Team All-Conference this past season at the wide receiver position and was also a Second-Team honoree, as a kick returner. He helped lead the Wolves to back-to-back South Atlantic Conference championships, including a win in the first every SAC Championship game played on Setzler Field this season. He led the team with 646 yards receiving on 31 catches, hauling in four touchdown receptions. He sits eighth all-time for the receiving yards for the Wolves with 1,773 in his career.
“The most exciting part about my journey ahead is just the opportunity itself,” Kitchings said about his signing. “Knowing all my hard work is starting to pay off and I have a chance to change a lot around me. I also want to show why I belong, knowing it is going to be hard, but I have G.R.I.T. and I’m prepared so nothing is unreachable. I want to open opportunities for my teammates and the ones like me coming from Division II or smaller schools so that the big leagues know we can play at the highest level just like those big named school players.”
Kitchings served as the leader in yardage for the Wolves in both 2022 and 2019 while also serving as the main kick-off returner for the Wolves this season as well as he took 11 kick-offs for 343 years while posting a long of 83-yards to boost his career kick-off return totals to 642. He helped the Wolves the fourth most total offense in the SAC with 4,123 yards while the team also ranked fifth in yards per game with 375 and third in points per game with 31. Kitchings and the Wolves finished off the season ranked No. 18 nationally.
“To my teammates and future Wolves, I want to show and lead by example that it is possible to be coming from Newberry,” Kitchings said when asked for advice to future Newberry student-athletes. “I want to be proof that the opportunity will present itself if you work hard, win games and stay patient. Newberry players work as hard as any other team and deserve the same shot, what we have done while I was at Newberry is in the record books for eternity and I just want the next group to continue building the legacy while trusting in God and everything will work out. The only person that can stop what God has planned for you is yourself and I’m part of the proof that the sky is the limit with what can be achieved coming from Newberry College.”