Dismissed Florida QB Kitna joining UAB, Dilfer
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Alex Scarborough, ESPN Staff Writer
Jalen Kitna, who was dismissed by Florida following an arrest on felony charges that were later dropped, has committed to join the football team at UAB.
The sophomore quarterback has been admitted to school, a university spokesperson told ESPN. Kitna, the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, plans to be on campus for an official visit Wednesday.
Kitna, who was a backup quarterback for the Gators, was arrested on five child pornography charges in November 2022 after police received a tip that a user had distributed an image of child sexual abuse material on the social media platform Discord. But the charges were dropped in July after he reached a plea deal in which he pleaded no-contest to a second-degree misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. He served six months’ probation.
In a statement to ESPN, UAB coach Trent Dilfer and athletic director Mark Ingram said “extensive due diligence” was performed in reviewing Kitna’s application to the school and interest in playing football.
Kitna said in a statement to ESPN that he was “grateful for the opportunity.”
“I acknowledge that I made naive decisions that I deeply regret and have since learned from,” he said. “As a result, I took responsibility by pleading no-contest to second-degree misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges related to those decisions.”
Kitna said he is in good standing at Florida and weighed “multiple offers to play football from different schools.”
“However, I firmly believe that UAB is the perfect fit for me,” he said. “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.”
Dilfer, who went 4-8 in his first season as UAB coach in 2023, acknowledged the shock of Kitna’s arrest but noted his discussions with Kitna and his family.
“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. “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. 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.”
Said Ingram: “Jalen has worked diligently to complete his six-month probation and participate in activities to grow and mature as a young man. He has committed to continued engagement with a robust support system at home and on campus, and I am confident in the decisions made by the institution and Department of Athletics to both support admission to UAB and to make available the appropriate guidance, resources and support services to promote Jalen’s growth and success.”
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.
Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.
Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.
Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.
Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.
Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.
That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
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