NEWBERRY — Newberry College has announced that Deshun Kitchings will serve as the first head coach for the inaugural season of the Wolves’ women’s flag football program, while Kendall Powell will serve as the program’s Director of Women’s Flag Football Operations.
Both Kitchings and Powell are South Carolina natives and proud Newberry College graduates.
Kitchings currently serves as an assistant coach on the Wolves’ nationally ranked football team, while Powell is the head coach of Newberry’s women’s club flag football team and esports program and also serves as the college’s Director of Campus Recreation.
“I am thrilled to have two of the top young leaders on our campus taking the reins of our women’s flag football program,” said Newberry College Vice President for Athletics Sean Johnson. “Both are Wolves through and through, and they embrace the unique culture that makes Newberry College and Newberry College Athletics special.”
Powell helped establish the women’s flag football program at the club level and is excited about its transition to varsity competition.
“I’m very excited,” Powell said. “I was able to start our program at the club level, and now the goal is to transition to a varsity team. We want to keep adding to the culture that we have at Newberry College.”
Kitchings said he is eager to help launch the new program and build on the tradition of Wolves athletics.
“I’m super excited for the opportunity to start a new program,” Kitchings said. “Women’s flag football will add something important to Newberry College, and we will bring the same standard of excellence we have already established for all of our other programs.”
A standout player during his time at Newberry, Kitchings graduated in 2022 after a decorated career with the Wolves. A graduate of South Aiken High School (2018), he later signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Chicago Bears and was also a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2023 preseason.
Kitchings earned a unique distinction during his senior season in 2022 when he became one of the few players in South Atlantic Conference history to earn two All-Conference honors in the same season, receiving first-team recognition at wide receiver and second-team honors as a kick returner.
He helped lead the Wolves to back-to-back South Atlantic Conference championships in 2021 and 2022, including a victory in the 2022 SAC Championship Game at Setzler Field.
Kitchings finished his career with 103 receptions for 1,773 yards and nine touchdowns, while totaling 2,677 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns.
Powell graduated from Newberry College in May 2023 and was named Director of Intramurals and Campus Recreation in September of that year. He added the title of Director of Esports in fall 2025.
A 2017 graduate of Batesburg-Leesville High School, Powell played both cornerback and wide receiver for the Panthers and was a member of the school’s 2016 Class 2A state runner-up team.
“As I stated when we made the announcement, the growth of women’s flag football in college athletics has been impressive to witness, and we want to give young women every opportunity to compete in intercollegiate athletics at Newberry College,” Johnson said. “We took steps to grow the sport on campus a year and a half ago by establishing a club team under the leadership of Kendall Powell, and with the addition of Coach Kitchings, I know we can be successful.”
The Wolves women’s flag football team will compete in Conference Carolinas during its inaugural varsity season in spring 2027.
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