Nick Saban says Freddie Kitchens will do ‘great job’ for Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens got his coaching start from Nick Saban, and Saban thinks Kitchens will excel as the Browns head coach.

Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens left an impression on University of Alabama head coach earlier in the offseason after Kitchens gave a speech at his alma mater during a coaching clinic hosted by Saban.

Kitchens’ speech impacted Saban, and the Alabama head coach said he echoed Kitchens’ speech to his players. Saban says that Kitchens has a way of connecting with his players, which has helped him rise to being the head coach of the Browns.

Kitchens received help from Saban to start his coaching career, as Kitchens was a graduate assistant under Saban at LSU in 2000 – three years after finishing his career as a quarterback for the Crimson Tide.

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Saban talked with Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram and said that he saw the potential of Kitchens as a coach, even though Kitchens was entering just the second year of coaching on the sidelines.

"“Yeah, because to me Freddie was a good teacher, he’s very smart, very bright about football and he’s the kind of person that I think people see he’s authentic in terms of how he comes across to people, players can trust him, believe in him,” Saban told The Chronicle-Telegram last week. “It’s no surprise to me, because he did a great job for us. I’m happy for him that he’s got the opportunity he’s got now, I think he’ll do a great job.” – Petrak, Chronicle-Telegram"

Saban also talked about how Kitchens is able to do things to make players better. And because Kitchens can help the players so much, players are not going to be as troublesome to Kitchens because he provides the players with something that will help them.

18 years after coaching for Saban, Kitchens has slowly worked his way up the ladder to become an NFL head coach. Kitchens coached for four other teams between his time with LSU and the Browns. He spent all of that time as either a quarterbacks coach, running backs coach, or tight ends coach.

Saban said that he attempted to hire Kitchens onto his staff multiple times, but Kitchens was in a better position than what Saban could offer. Saban has helped several coaches elevate their careers into becoming head coaches, so it is obvious he sees plenty of potential in Kitchens’ coaching ability.

With Kitchens taking over as the head coach of a young team mixed with some veterans, he has a chance to prove how well he is able to get the best out of his players. Because the Browns will have such large expectations for 2019, Kitchens will have his work cut out for him in his first season as a head coach.