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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football
Matt Kitchens
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Outside Linebackers
- Year at Ole Miss:
- Third
- Email:
- rebelfootball@olemiss.edu
- Phone:
- 662-915-7890
- Alma Mater:
- Arkansas Tech (2009)
Matt Kitchens is entering his third season at Ole Miss and first as an assistant coach, overseeing the outside linebacker units.
Kitchens joined Ole Miss in 2024 and spent his first two seasons as an analyst for the Rebels, which included a year as a senior analyst in 2025.
Prior to his time in Oxford, Kitchens had two stints at Central Arkansas, most recently spending two seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator and outside linebacker’s coach. He spent two years in that role as the Bears went 10-12 combined.
In 2022, Kitchens’ defense had the second-best third down stoppage rate in the ASUN. His defense also scored a pair of touchdowns on the year, both off of fumble recoveries. His defense continued to force turnovers through the air with 11 on the year for consecutive double-digit seasons for the Bears. UCA had the best sacking defense in the ASUN, averaging 2.82 per game, led by David Walker.
Walker, who was a finalist for the 2022 Buck Bachanan Award for the national defensive player of the year in college football’s Division I FCS subdivision, was the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and named an All-American by six national outlets.
In 2021, Kitchens’ defense allowed the second fewest first downs in the ASUN while the team’s offense paced the league in that regard. The Bears established a tendency to stop ballcarriers behind the line of scrimmage, averaging 5.9 such tackles a game. Defensive end Logan Jessup paced the team in that regard with 11 tackles for loss while eliminating 34 yards of total offense for opponents. Jessup earned second-team sophomore All-American in 2021, as well as the All-ASUN team. Jessup was also an ASUN defensive player of the week, while Deandre Lamont earned two weekly recognitions.
Sandwiched between his stints at Central Arkansas, Kitchens served as the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at South Alabama. During his time in Mobile, Kitchens assisted a pair of players to second team All-Sun Belt members in 2018. Nigel Lawrence earned the accolade as a safety while Tra Minter as a return specialist. Lawrence finish that season third in the Sun Belt in tackles and Minter paced the conference in all-purpose yards, ranking top 10 in the country in that category. As a unit, Kitchens’ punt return team finished second in the conference and 10th nationally after averaging nearly 15 yards per attempt.
Kitchens continued to develop Minter throughout his South Alabama career. In 2019, Minter earned honorable mention All-America and first team All-Sun Belt recognition. He racked nearly 160 all-purpose yards per game, ranking second in the NCAA. He concluded his South Alabama career as top five in school history in kick and punt return yards. Kitchens also developed punter Jack Brooks, who averaged one of the top five punting averages in program single-season history.
He arrived at South Alabama after working in the same role from 2015-17 under Steve Campbell at Central Arkansas. His efforts helped the Bears post a 27-9 overall record and a 24-3 mark in the Southland Conference while making two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances, including a first-round victory in 2016. UCA never finished lower than second in the league standings over that stretch.
In 2017, Kitchens aided as the Bears posted a 10-2 finish, won the Southland Championship – going 9-0 in conference play – and earned the fourth seed in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. He played role in George Odum earning both All-America and first team All-SLC honors, and Juan Jackson receiving second team all-conference recognition. In 2016, 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 seasons 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 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage as a senior to help the team to an overall record of 9-3. 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.
Kitchens joined Ole Miss in 2024 and spent his first two seasons as an analyst for the Rebels, which included a year as a senior analyst in 2025.
Prior to his time in Oxford, Kitchens had two stints at Central Arkansas, most recently spending two seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator and outside linebacker’s coach. He spent two years in that role as the Bears went 10-12 combined.
In 2022, Kitchens’ defense had the second-best third down stoppage rate in the ASUN. His defense also scored a pair of touchdowns on the year, both off of fumble recoveries. His defense continued to force turnovers through the air with 11 on the year for consecutive double-digit seasons for the Bears. UCA had the best sacking defense in the ASUN, averaging 2.82 per game, led by David Walker.
Walker, who was a finalist for the 2022 Buck Bachanan Award for the national defensive player of the year in college football’s Division I FCS subdivision, was the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and named an All-American by six national outlets.
In 2021, Kitchens’ defense allowed the second fewest first downs in the ASUN while the team’s offense paced the league in that regard. The Bears established a tendency to stop ballcarriers behind the line of scrimmage, averaging 5.9 such tackles a game. Defensive end Logan Jessup paced the team in that regard with 11 tackles for loss while eliminating 34 yards of total offense for opponents. Jessup earned second-team sophomore All-American in 2021, as well as the All-ASUN team. Jessup was also an ASUN defensive player of the week, while Deandre Lamont earned two weekly recognitions.
Sandwiched between his stints at Central Arkansas, Kitchens served as the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at South Alabama. During his time in Mobile, Kitchens assisted a pair of players to second team All-Sun Belt members in 2018. Nigel Lawrence earned the accolade as a safety while Tra Minter as a return specialist. Lawrence finish that season third in the Sun Belt in tackles and Minter paced the conference in all-purpose yards, ranking top 10 in the country in that category. As a unit, Kitchens’ punt return team finished second in the conference and 10th nationally after averaging nearly 15 yards per attempt.
Kitchens continued to develop Minter throughout his South Alabama career. In 2019, Minter earned honorable mention All-America and first team All-Sun Belt recognition. He racked nearly 160 all-purpose yards per game, ranking second in the NCAA. He concluded his South Alabama career as top five in school history in kick and punt return yards. Kitchens also developed punter Jack Brooks, who averaged one of the top five punting averages in program single-season history.
He arrived at South Alabama after working in the same role from 2015-17 under Steve Campbell at Central Arkansas. His efforts helped the Bears post a 27-9 overall record and a 24-3 mark in the Southland Conference while making two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances, including a first-round victory in 2016. UCA never finished lower than second in the league standings over that stretch.
In 2017, Kitchens aided as the Bears posted a 10-2 finish, won the Southland Championship – going 9-0 in conference play – and earned the fourth seed in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. He played role in George Odum earning both All-America and first team All-SLC honors, and Juan Jackson receiving second team all-conference recognition. In 2016, 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 seasons 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 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage as a senior to help the team to an overall record of 9-3. 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.
Wednesday, April 29
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