GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has apparently dismissed backup quarterback Jalen Kitna after his arrest on child pornography charges.
Kitna's name was no longer listed on the team's 2022 roster Friday, one day after he was released from jail on an $80,000 bond. His official profile page was also scrubbed from the team's website.
The 19-year-old redshirt freshman faced a judge Thursday during a bond hearing, which took place the day after his arrest on two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography.
Gainesville police said they received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone using the Discord instant messaging platform had shared two images of pornographic material involving a child from Kitna's account.
When detectives interviewed him, Kitna said he remembered sharing the two images but believed them to be "legal" since he found them online, police said.
Kitna claimed he received an email from Discord that his account had been deactivated for a violation of the terms of service.
Police said when they obtained a warrant to search his electronic devices, they found three more images of pornographic material involving a child.
The Gators initially suspended Kitna after his arrest, but it appears first-year head coach Billy Napier is moving on from the former three-star recruit, who came to Florida under Napier's predecessor, Dan Mullen.
Kitna was No. 2 on the depth chart behind Anthony Richardson, who could declare for the NFL Draft. He is the son of former longtime NFL quarterback Jon Kitna.
