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Jalen Kitna, the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, is poised to revive his college football career after being dismissed from the Florida football program in 2022. The quarterback has committed to the UAB Blazers for the upcoming 2024 season.
According to reports, Kitna has been admitted to the university, and he is scheduled to visit the campus on Wednesday. He was dismissed by the Gators after he was arrested on five charges of child pornography in November 2022, which were later dropped.
Jalen Kitna went through extensive vetting
Following the commitment of Jalen Kitna to the UAB football program, coach Trent Dilfer and athletic director Mark Ingram made it known that the quarterback underwent a comprehensive vetting process before gaining admission to the university.
"Initial headlines can be hard to get past, even if they don't hold up to the scrutiny of the legal process over time," Dilfer said in the statement.
"UAB and the Department of Athletics have performed extensive due diligence, and I have personally looked at the facts of this case and the thorough investigation, and I've had candid conversations with Jalen and his parents."
Dilfer went on to say he has the belief that Kitna has learned a lot of lessons from how things played out since he was charged and will work on being a better person.
“I firmly believe Jalen learned valuable lessons and will carry himself well and show great character as a member of our community. Otherwise, he would not be at UAB."
Jalen Kitna grateful for the new opportunity
Getting another chance in the college football landscape is no doubt a big deal for Jalen Kitna, considering the sensitivity of his dropped charges. The quarterback has shown his appreciation to UAB for offering him the opportunity. He said in a statement to ESPN.
"I acknowledge that I made naive decisions that I deeply regret and have since learned from," Kitna said. "As a result, I took responsibility by pleading no-contest to second-degree misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges related to those decisions."
"However, I firmly believe that UAB is the perfect fit for me. I consider myself fortunate to be in Birmingham, surrounded by an incredible support system, having found a church family, and being able to take advantage of the numerous resources offered by the university."
The Blazers aim for a rebound in the 2024 season after a disappointing 4-8 record in 2023 and will count on Jalen Kitna’s experience to achieve this goal. Kitna, who saw action in four games in 2022 at Florida, threw for 181 yards and a touchdown.
