Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY — Newberry College head football coach Todd Knight announced the hiring of former Wolves star Deshun Kitchings.
Kitchings will coach tight ends and H-backs replacing another former Newberry star, Dre Harris, who is returning to Germany this spring to continue his professional football career.
“It’s great to have an old Wolf back,” said Knight. “Deshun’s experience in the NFL will bring nothing but positives to our program. At the end of the day Deshun Kitchings is a winner which is why we want him back in our program.”
Kitchings, who graduated from Newberry College in 2022 and South Aiken High School in 2018, was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Chicago Bears and was a member of Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2023 preseason.
Kitchings was a first-team All-South Atlantic Conference selection at the wide receiver position and a second-team honoree as a kick returner in 2022. He helped lead the Wolves to back-to-back South Atlantic Conference championships in 2021 and 2022, including a win in the first every SAC Championship game played on Setzler Field in 2022.
He finished his career with 103 pass receptions for 1,773 yards and nine touchdowns, 2,677 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns.
Kitchings ranks eighth in career receiving yards and his 178 yards against Wingate in 2019 is tied for the ninth best single game total in school history.
In 2022, Kitchings led the team with 646 yards receiving on 31 catches, hauling in four touchdown receptions. He was second on the team in all-purpose yards with 1,219 which included 762 yards receiving, 405 yards in kick returns and 52 yards rushing. Kitchings averaged 31.2 yards per kick return including an 83-yard return against Limestone.
He had 559 all-purpose yards in 2021, finishing with 18 receptions for 254 yards and a score, 188 yards receiving and 117 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
As a sophomore in 2019 he led the Wolves with 39 receptions for 726 yards and four touchdowns and was second on the team in all-purpose yards with 840.
Kitchings joins the Newberry staff after coaching at South Aiken High School.