2014 NC STATE FOOTBALL BOWL GUIDE / XXXX 1

2015 NC STATE FOOTBALL BOWL GUIDE / ASSISTANT COACHES
end. Samuels leads the Wolfpack with 64 catches, the most catches for a
tight end in the nation. He also posts the ACC’s third-highest TD total with
14 (7 receiving, 7 rushing) this season.
- In 2014, Tight end David J. Grinnage was on the midseason ‘watch’ list for the
Mackey Award and Samuels, who posted one of the best yards-per-rush (9.5)
and yards-per-reception (16.0) averages on the team.
At Wisconsin:
- In 2012, helped junior Jacob Pedersen win all-Big Ten honors and the
league’s Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year award. Pedersen was the
team’s second leading receiver and his 14 career TD receptions are tied for
11th all time at UW.
At Northern Illinois:
- Mentored All-MAC tailback Jasmin Hopkins, who rushed for 956 yards and
15 touchdowns on 187 carries (5.1 avg.).
- NIU boasted the nation’s No. 12 rushing attack with an average of 234.1 yds.
- While also overseeing NIU’s special teams, Faulkner’s punt coverage unit
ranked second nationally, yielding just one yard per return. Husky placekicker
Mathew Sims was a first-team All-MAC performer while compiling a
school-record 124 points (20-28 field goals, 64-66 PATs).
At Ball State:
- Served as interim head coach at the end of the 2010 season before his
departure to NIU.
- Cardinals captured two MAC West Division championships and advanced to
back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history.
YEAR BY YEAR WITH EDDIE FAULKNER
Year(s) Team Position
2002 Anderson Univ. Running Backs
2003-04 Ball State Graduate Assistant
2005-08 Ball State Running Backs/Special Teams
2009-10 Ball State Offensive Coor./Running Backs
2011 Northern Illinois Running Backs/Special Teams Coor.
2012 Wisconsin Tight Ends
2013-pres. NC State TE/Fullbacks/Special Teams Coor.
DES KITCHINGS
Furman ‘00
Running Backs/Recruiting Coor.
12th year in coaching
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College - A standout receiver/return specialist at
Furman. As a senior in 1999, Kitchings helped Furman
win the first of three conference championships.
He ranks among the school’s all-time leaders
in receptions and returns. As a specialist, he averaged 29.3 yards on 33
kickoff returns - the second-best mark in Southern Conference history. Four
were returned for touchdowns - also a school record. A consensus all-Southern
Conference selection as both a receiver and returner, Kitchings earned
All-America honors as a return specialist in 1999 after leading the NCAA I-AA
division in return average. He became the youngest inductee into the Furman
Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009; Professional - selected by Kansas City in the
2000 NFL Draft, and spent four years on practice squads and rosters of NFL
squads.
EDUCATION:
Earned a B.S. in health and exercise science from Furman in 2000.
PERSONAL DATA:
A native of Wagener, S.C., Kitchings and his wife, Heather, have three children:
Aiden (8), Ava (6) and Austen (4).
BOWL EXPERIENCE:
As a coach - 2015 Belk Bowl, 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg, 2012 Franklin American
Mortgage Music City Bowl, 2012 Military Bowl, 2008 Music City Bowl.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS:
As a coach: 2004 Furman; As a player: 1999 Furman.
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS:
At NC State:
- Despite losing the team’s top two rushers eight games into the season,
the Pack’s rushing attack totaled 584 yards in the final two regular season
games.
- The 2014 Wolfpack posted the fourth-best rushing total in school history
(2,659) and the best per game average since 1992.
- RBs Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes combined with QB Jacoby Brissett to
give NC State three 500 yard rushers for the first time since 1973.
- In 2012, coached both running backs and tight ends.
- Freshman Shadrach Thorton finished the season with three straight games
over 100 yards rushing, the first Pack player to do so since 2002. Thornton finished
fourth in the ACC in rushing (69.4).
At Air Force:
- In his one season at Air Force, the Falcons ranked third nationally in rushing
averaging 314.8 yards per game.
- In 2011, Air Force finished third nationally with 43 rushing touchdowns.
At Vanderbilt:
- Served as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator for the 2010 season.
- Was a key player in the development of true freshman tailbacks Warren Norman
(brother of former Wolfpack defensive end Art Norman) and Zac Stacy,
who ranked 1-2 on the team in rushing in 2009, with Norman producing one
of the finest all-purpose campaigns ever by an SEC freshman. He ended the
season as the SEC Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American.
At Furman:
- Helped mentor Larry Hedden, Willis Sudderth and John Rust to all-conference
recognition.
- During his tenure at Furman, the Paladins went 10-3 and captured a conference
title in 2004, and advanced to the NCAA I-AA national semifinals in 2005.
YEAR BY YEAR WITH DES KITCHINGS
Year(s) Team Position
2004-07 Furman Tight Ends / Special Teams Coor.
2008-09 Vanderbilt Running Backs/Running Game Coor/
Special Teams Coordinator
2010 Vanderbilt Offensive Coordinator
2011 Air Force Running Backs/Game Coordinator
2012 NC State Running Backs/Tight Ends
2013 NC State Running Backs
2014-pres. NC State Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
GEORGE McDONALD
Illinois ‘99
Wide Receivers
15th year in coaching
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College - A four-year letterwinner at receiver at Illinois
(1995-98). Led the Big Ten in kickoff return
yardage and also earned all-conference honors in
track and field, where he set a school record in the
60-meter dash (6.74) and won a league title.
EDUCATION:
Earned a B.S. in health planning and administration from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1999.
PERSONAL DATA:
Born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on May 10, 1976. He and Heather Anderson welcomed
son Roman in April.
BOWL EXPERIENCE:
As a coach - 2015 Belk Bowl, 2013 Texas Bowl, 2008 Insight Bowl, 2007 International
Bowl.
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS:
At NC State:
- Has coached in three of the Power 5 conferences: ACC, SEC, Big12
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