Photo: Gainesville Police Department
Florida Gators backup quarterback Jalen Kitna was charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, a second-degree felony, according to booking records on the Alachua County Clerk of Court website via Sports Illustrated.
The University of Florida announced Kitna was "suspended indefinitely form the football program" in a statement obtained by Sports Illustrated Wednesday (November 30) afternoon.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna," the school said. "These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior."
Kitna, a redshirt freshman, is the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, who started for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys during his 14-year NFL career and currently works as the head coach of the Burleson High School football team in Burleson, Texas.
The 19-year-old rated as a three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 55 quarterback, No. 111 player from the state of Texas and No. 784 overall prospect for the 2021 national recruiting cycle prior to enrolling at the University of Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Kitna redshirted during his first season on campus, but has served as the team's No. 2 quarterback behind starter Anthony Richardson in 2022, throwing for 181 yards and a touchdown on 10 of 14 passing in four appearances.