Signing Day Capsule: Texas-based quarterback Jalen Kitna
Name: Jalen Kitna
Class: 2021
Position: Quarterback
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds
Location/School: Burelson (Texas) High School
Committed to: Florida Gators
Why Kitna picked the Gators:
Jon Kitna: "The great thing about Florida is, before they ever started recruiting him, Dak had told us all about Brian, all about coach Mullen. He couldn’t have talked any higher about them, and he was just talking in general. He wasn’t trying to recruit Jalen for them or anything like that. It was just a general conversation. So I had that background information."
"And then really, the way that coach Johnson would speak and talk about football, it turned Jalen on to that place. And then watching coach Mullen, the success he’s had with all different types of quarterbacks. That’s one of the things coach Mullen talked about. We’re going to tailor the offense to the strengths of our teams and our quarterback. A lot of people say that, but that’s what he’s done everywhere he’s been."
Film Room
When dissecting Kitna's highlights, the first thing that grasped my attention in a hurry was his accuracy and ball placement. He does a great job of leading his receivers, especially when stretching the field. When operating in the red-zone, Kitna also shows the ability to deliver the ball where only the receiver can make a play on it.
You also have to take notice of his pocket awareness. Kitna flashes active feet and does a nice job of stepping up in the pocket when needed. He makes sure to keep his eyes locked downfield as well, even when getting outside of the pocket. Kitna is not a dual-threat, but he's athletic enough to extend plays with his legs when needed. However, he needs to do a better job of protecting himself and learning when to get down.
You can tell he is the son of a quarterback by the way he scans the field and goes through his progressions. He shows impressive velocity as well, especially on intermediate routes and throwing toward the sideline. Most of the time he does a nice job of stepping into throws, but he can be more consistent with that part of his game.
Kitna is a humble kid and leader who has no problem accepting constructing criticism, so I expect him to be a sponge once arriving in Gainesville. He will need to pack on additional weight, as well as get stronger, but that's the case for nearly all incoming freshmen.
With Kitna, this is a rising senior who has a nice ceiling under center. He comes from a great family and obviously has the resources in place in order to maximize his ability. Kitna is impressive from a technical standpoint, but as I noted above, his ball placement and ability to lead receivers grasped my attention the most.