Sophomore Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna was in line to start the team’s unknown bowl game with starter Anthony Richardson potentially set to sit it out to prepare for the NFL Draft.
That’s now not even on the table following troubling news surrounding the quarterback on Wednesday. According to TMZ Sports, Kitna was arrested Wednesday morning in Florida. The gossip rag notes that Kitna was booked into jail around 3:20 PM local time.
A later update from the Gainesville Police Department notes that Kitna was arrested on five different charges, including two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography. The Gators have since suspended Kitna indefinitely while releasing a statement following his arrest.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna. These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior. Jalen has been suspended indefinitely from the football program,” Florida Gatros statement on Jalen Kitna’s arrest.
A three-star recruit back in 2020, Kitna received offers from the likes of Tennessee, Colorado, Texas A&M, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Arizona before opting to sign with Florida. In fact, he committed to BC before opting to land in Gainesville.
- Jalen Kitna stats (2022): 10-of-14 passing, 181 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
As you can see, Kitna has been on the field for limited action thus far this season after redshirting as a freshman back in 2021.
Though, there was a good chance that head coach Billy Napier would turn to Kitna for Florida’s bowl game with Richardson unlikely to play. The Gators find themselves at 6-6 on the season following a loss to the Florida State Seminoles in their rivalry game this past weekend.
As for Jalen Kitna, he’s the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, who played with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys,, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks over the course of a career that spanned 15 seasons.