UNC Offensive Coordinator Opens Up on Offensive Woes, QB Battle

North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens addressed the media, discussing the offense’s current state, ongoing issues and the quarterback situation.

The video of the presser is down below along with a partial transcript:

Here is a partial transcript:

How would you assess where the offense is through five games?

UNC — North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

I think, you know, some of the progress we've made haven't showed up on the school board, but I think we have made progress from, if you go back into TCU, you know, moving on to Charlotte, moving on to Richmond, UCF, Clemson. I think we've made progress. Doesn't always show up on the scoreboard, but we've made progress in different areas, and we just need to continue to stay where our feet are and get better each and every day, and eventually we'll get the results that we want.

Specifically, what are some of those areas you've seen progress over the last few weeks?

UNC Huddle; Oct. 4, 2025 | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

You know, I think communication has gotten better, from the standpoint of the quarterback to the line, the line to the backs, the receivers for the quarterback. You know, there's communication all over the field that happens every play. I think that communication has gotten better, definitely, which increase your chance to be successful in the individual play.

Then you string up those together, and you get success. And it really can, you know, you can cut this thing down into drives or plays or whatever, but each and every play is its own entity and has a different set of problems or a different set of communication rules and things like that. And you get that going, but if you have a misstep along the way, that's how you get sometimes bogged down and don't have the results that you want.

Can you just sort of break down for us over what? What you've seen the first five games between Max Johnson and then Gio Lopez specifically?

Max Johnson | UNC Atheltic Communications

Yeah, I think you know, both those guys offer leadership abilities, capabilities. They both made plays in different parts and and all that sort of thing. You know, I like being around both those guys. They bring different, a little bit different aspects to the game, from their perspective and but both of them kind of stayed the course and understand that they're trying to get better each and every day, and they've done a really good job of that on their place, specifically on the field.

When pushed on the exact improvements of Johnson and Lopez …

Sep 20, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) warms up before the game against the UCF Knights at the Bounce House Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Yeah, I think again, I think you, you know, evaluate, once you're on the field, you evaluate it, move forward and stuff like that. But the both those guys have had ups and downs, they'd be the first to tell you that it's just, just like all festival, we just need to be more consistent along the way and not say they say the same thing. Front row on the left, yeah.

On talks inside the building of potential staff changes …

UNC — North Carolina running back Demon June breaking off a run vs. Richmond (Sept. 13, 2025 | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

That's never been brought up, never been discussed. But you know, I think we always look to see how we get better each and every, every day that we come go out to practice, and each day that each game day and all that kind of stuff, we come out and reevaluate things, and, you know, go from there. So there's, of course, things I've done better. I think we can say that all the way down the line and but sometimes you just gotta keep your head down and go work and. And try to get from her on the right here.

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