South Carolina hiring Des Kitchings, will shuffle staff duties again
South Carolina’s football coaching staff is about to be complete again, and at a modestly lower price.
The school’s board of trustees is set to approve a contract for new running backs coach Des Kitchings, formerly of North Carolina State. He will fill the void left by wide receiver coach Bryan McClendon leaving for Oregon.
The deal is worth $300,000 for one year. The buyout is $40,000.
“I’m very excited to come to South Carolina for several reasons,” Kitchings said in a statement. “One, to join coach Will Muschamp and his staff. I’ve been impressed watching what they’ve been doing to build the program and I look forward to being part of that staff. Secondly, I’m excited about returning to my home state. Personally, it’s a blessing for me to be closer to my parents and family in South Carolina. I’m also excited about coaching that room. ... They have recruited well and there are some young, talented backs on the roster that I’m looking forward to coaching and helping the Gamecocks win games.”
The move will require some staff shuffling as Bobby Bentley is currently listed as running backs coach.
The move will be complemented by current running backs coach Bobby Bentley moving back to tight end, which his coached in 2019, and tight ends coach Joe Cox working with wide receivers, which he did last season at Colorado State.
Kitchings is a native of Wagener and played his college ball at Furman. He had coaching stops at Vanderbilt under Bobby Johnson and Robbie Calwell; Air Force with Troy Calhoun; and spent the last nine years in Raleigh with Tom O’Brien and Dave Doeren.
Kitchings was a co-offensive coordinator in 2019.
“We’re excited to add Des to the staff,” Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said in a statement. “I was impressed by him in the interview process, with his history with running back play and with his ties in the state of North Carolina, which should be a huge asset in recruiting. He was endorsed by everyone he has worked with and we are fortunate to bring him back to his home state.”
Last season, he helped guide former four-star recruit Zonovan Knight as well as Jordan Houston to solid seasons. He also served as recruiting coordinator for N.C. State at points. Recruiting North Carolina will be particularly important in the current cycle, as South Carolina’s crop of talent isn’t a strong as usual.
Kitchings will inherit a running back room with a good bit of turnover. Four senior backs are gone, and the group adds a high four-star freshman in MarShawn Lloyd, plus freshman Rashad Amos and junior college runner Zaquandre White.
The $300,000 contract takes a good bit of money of South Carolina’s projected staff spending, as McClendon was slated to make $1 million in 2020. McClendon was also signed through 2021, so an obligation comes off for that year as well.
North Carolina State will also pay the difference between what Kitchings is earning and $492,500, as he had signed a deal for that much annually through this year with the Wolfpack.
South Carolina’s coaching movement this offseason:
South Carolina staff changes this offseason:
Departures
RB coach Thomas Brown — Left for same job with LA Rams
DL coach John Scott — Left for same job with Penn State
LB Coach Coleman Hutzler — Left for job at Texas
QB coach Dan Werner — Let go
Strength coach Jeff Dillman — Let go
WR coach Bryan McClendon — Same job with Oregon
Director of Player Personnel Matt Lindsey — Took a job at Ole Miss
Additions
RB coach Des Kitchings
OC/QB coach Mike Bobo
TE coach Joe Cox
LB coach Rod Wilson
DL coach Tracy Rocker
Strength coach Paul Jackson
Director of Player Personnel Drew Hughes
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
