Deke Herrin enters his 12th season as Newberry’s wide receivers coach in 2023.Herrin coaches the wide receivers, punt and kickoff returners, and serves as the compliance liaison for the coaching staff
In 2022 Herrin coached a wide receiver room that featured NFL undrafted free agent Deshun Kitchings who signed with the Chicago Bears after the 2023 NFL Draft. Kitchings also gained first team all-SAC honors in the 2022 season. Kitchings had 31 receptions for 646 yards and four touchdowns on the 2022 campaign
In 2021, Herrin had a wide receiver room that featured first team all-SAC wideout Bryson Woodruff. Woodruff lead the SAC with 928 yards and nine touchdowns on the 2021 campaign.
Deshun Kitchings continued the tradition of strong wide receiver play in 2019, having a breakout sophomore season with a Second Team All-SAC selection and finishing third in the SAC in receptions (39), receiving yards (726), and yards per game (66.0). Kitchings was excellent against No. 18 Wingate, finishing eighth in single-game school history with 178 yards on just six catches. Four wide receivers each had at least 260 yards in a season in which Newberry led the SAC in completion percentage.
Markell Castle closed an incredible career with a third straight All-SAC selection, being named to the first team for the second time in his career, and a Third Team All-Region nod from the Football Gazette. Castle matched the school record with 12 100-yard receiving games and finished second in receptions (162), receiving yards (2,484), and receiving touchdowns (24). Castle was one of four receivers with at least 140 yards on the season.
Markell Castle earned all-South Atlantic Conference honors for the second consecutive year in 2017 after a first-team nod a year prior. Castle had four 100-yard receiving games, tied for sixth in school history with nine touchdown catches, and was tied for 10th in school history with 756 receiving yards in 2017 despite catching just 39 passes, 14 shy of cracking the top 10 in single-season receptions. Keinan Lewis, Manny McCord, and Wes Jordan each chipped in at least 149 yards on the season, with Lewis averaging 25.7 yards on his 12 receptions.
Newberry's receivers had a phenomenal year in the SAC championship season of 2016, with Markell Castle and Cole Watson earning first team all-SAC recognition and Braxton Ivery being named to the second team. Castle also earned a spot on the Football Gazette second team all-Region and finished second in school history with 976 yards on the season.
The trio finished the season first, fourth, and sixth in the SAC in receiving yards, respectively. Castle's seven touchdowns ranked second in the SAC, one slot ahead of Watson's six scores. Castle also appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, landing at No. 2 on the day's Top Plays after a one-handed catch against Florida Tech in the season opener.
In all, Herrin's unit helped Newberry to school records in scoring (436 points), passing yards (3,536), completions (287), passing touchdowns (30), completion percentage (67.8), total offense (5,462 yards), all-purpose yards (6,496), and total touchdowns (61). Quarterback Raleigh Yeldell finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation in completion percentage with a .703 mark.
Herrin came to Newberry after four seasons as the passing game coordinator at Division III Birmingham-Southern College. In Herrin’s final season with the Panthers, B-SC finished first in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in total offense, with quarterback Jimmy Stainback completing 60% of his passes.
Prior to Birmingham-Southern, Herrin coached outside linebackers at Presbyterian College after a season as a graduate assistant at Middle Tennessee State.
Herrin began his playing career as a walk-on wide receiver at Western Carolina in 1994 and working his way up to a scholarship player in 1995 and 1996. He completed his career at Clemson, and graduated from there with a degree in sports management in 1999.
Personal
Alma Mater: Middle Tennessee '06/Clemson '99
Family: Wife, Tiffany
Recruiting Area: Pickens, Oconee, Anderson, Greenwood, McCormick, and Abbeville Counties
Years Coaching: 18
Coaching Experience
Newberry College
2012-Present Wide Receivers Coach
Birmingham Southern College
2008-11 Passing Game Coordinator
Presbyterian College
2007 Linebackers Coach
Middle Tennessee State University
2006 Graduate Assistant
