Matt Kitchens enters his third season as the University of South Alabama’s safeties coach and special teams coordinator.
In his first year with the Jaguar program, Kitchens helped both Nigel Lawrence and Tra Minter be named second-team all-Sun Belt Conference at safety and as a return specialist, respectively. Lawrence ended up third in the league in tackles after pacing the team in the category, while Minter paced the Sun Belt in all-purpose yards — ranking among the top 10 in the country in the category — and was third in kickoff returns. As a unit, the Jags’ punt return team finished second in the league and 10th nationally after averaging nearly 15 yards per attempt while recording the second-best mark in the program’s 10-year history.
Kitchens’ efforts last fall helped Minter earn honorable mention All-America and first-team all-league recognition as an all-purpose back after leading the Sun Belt and ranking second in the nation with over 160 yards per game; he was also among the top five in the conference in both kickoff and punt returns, ending his Jaguar career among the top five in school history in kick and punt return yards. Both safeties would end up among the top five on the team in total tackles as well, with DJ Daniels posting 72 totals stops and Keith Gallmon adding 59 to go along with four passes broken up in their first seasons as starters, while on special teams Jack Brooks ended his freshman year with one of the top five punting averages on South’s season record list after averaging 46 yards or better in three of four contests this final month of the season.
He came to South after working in the same role from 2015-17 under current Jaguar head coach Steve Campbell at Central Arkansas, where his efforts helped the Bears posted a 27-9 overall record and a 24-3 mark in the Southland Conference while making two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances including picking up a first-round victory in 2016. UCA never finished lower than second in the league standings over that stretch.
In his last season with the program, Kitchens aided as the Bears posted a 10-2 finish, won the Southland championship — going 9-0 in league play — and earned the fourth seed in the NCAA FCS playoffs. He played a role in George Odum earning both All-America and first-team all-SLC honors, and Juan Jackson receiving second-team all-league recognition. The previous year, Odum was a first-team all-conference selection after UCA went 10-3 overall after defeating Illinois State in the opening round of the postseason.
Kitchens was first a graduate assistant coach at Arkansas Tech from 2010-11 before taking on a full-time position on the school’s staff working with linebackers the following year. He then spent two years as a graduate assistant at Southern Mississippi before accepting the position at Central Arkansas.
A four-year letterwinner at Arkansas Tech, Kitchens recorded 46 tackles including 7½ stops behind the line of scrimmage as a senior to help the team to a overall record of 9-3 after earning a first-round victory in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. He received his undergraduate degree in communications from the school in 2009.
Kitchens is married to the former Jaclyn Blake; the couple has one son, Trey and one daughter, Kennedy.
The Kitchens File
Born: Born: July 8, 1987, in Russellville, Ark.
Education: Arkansas Tech ’09, bachelor’s degree in communications
Collegiate Playing Experience: Four years, linebacker, Arkansas Tech
Coaching Experience:
Arkansas Tech — graduate assistant coach, 2010-11; assistant coach, 2012
Southern Mississippi — graduate assistant coach, 2013-14
Central Arkansas — assistant coach, 2015-17
South Alabama — assistant coach, 2018-
Family: Wife, Jaclyn; One son, Trey (3) and one daughter, Kennedy (born Feb. 9)
