Kitna enters transfer portal following plea deal on child pornography charges

Jalen Kitna, a former Florida Gators quarterback, entered the transfer portal just days after taking a plea deal that dismissed charges of child pornography stemming from a November 2022 arrest, according to various media reports.

Kitna was instead charged with two counts of disorderly conduct and is facing a year and a half of probation for each count. He will not, however, have to register as a sex offender and did not receive any fines.

The November arrest stemmed from 10 felony complaints accusing the quarterback of possession with intent to promote child pornography. Florida law states that having at least three copies of a video or picture triggers the infraction.

Authorities executed a search warrant for Kitna’s apartment.

A recent story from SI.com details Kitna’s college football history. Below is an excerpt from the SI.com story.

A former three-year recruit in the 2021 football recruiting class, Kitna was a top-50 quarterback and is the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna.

Kitna played in four games last season, completing 10 of 14 pass attempts and a touchdown against Eastern Washington.

Florida removed Kitna from its football roster after the charges were made public last year, and now his departure from the program leaves four quarterbacks for the Gators: Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, redshirt sophomore Jack Miller, freshman Parker Leise, and graduate Micah Leon.

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.