Kitna firmly entrenched as UAB’s QB1 heading into second spring as a blazer

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 1, 2025

The list of Jalen Kitna’s spring practice objectives is clear. One of those isn’t trying to win a starting job.

Kitna, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt senior, was the starter for the final eight games last season and he entered this spring as the unquestioned quarterback leader, according to UAB head coach Trent Dilfer. If things go as expected, Kitna will enter fall camp as the starter and take the first snap in UAB’s opener in late August.

So what is on the list for Kitna this spring?

“We got 14 more practices, another six or seven OTAs, which are, you know, walkthroughs and meetings within that,” Dilfer said last week after the first spring practice session. “We need to see a big step. We need to see a more confident player, more instinctive player, more consistent player. He knows that, we've had (those conversations). The one thing I've said is to play quarterback here, be careful what you ask for, because you just got it, right? And he understands that. You know, you the standards extremely high.”

Dilfer added he likes the way Kitna is working toward reaching those standards.

“He works at an NFL level, so he's recognized the deficiencies in his game,” Dilfer said. “I'm super proud of how he's attacked them. You couldn't ask for a better human and a better worker. In fact, the whole quarterback room has really embraced what we expect out of that position and has attacked it with vigor.”

The deficiencies in Kitna’s game were on full display last season after he took over as the starter in the fifth week of the season. His first start came in the 71-20 loss to Tulane at Protective. He threw a touchdown pass in that game but also threw three interceptions. Over the next seven games, he had 16 touchdowns,10 interceptions and had trouble with fumbles. He had back-to-back games where he threw for 384 yards in a loss at South Florida and 404 yards with six touchdowns in a win over Tulsa. He finished the season 196-of-316 passing for 2,209 yards but that also came along with the turnover problems.

The good coming with the bad, often quickly bunched together, was understandable for a player getting his first extended chance at playing college football. But it was also not acceptable.

“Last year it was great just to get out there,” Kitna said. “You know, just be able to make mistakes and also make plays. I think there's just a combination of a lot of different things that we need to get better at. I take responsibility for a lot of mistakes that we had and a lot of ways that we can get better. Again, I think having the experience is great. It’s allowed me to come into this season and be a lot more focused on being able to move through this.”

It also helped that those lessons were stretched out over eight weeks.

“Having those games under our belt allowed me to understand where I need to improve, what I need to work on,” Kitna said. “But also it allows me to have some experience and understand what the coaches are looking for you, what their philosophy is and how we could better get on the same page and move forward.”

This spring also starts the competition to fill out the quarterback depth chart. It’s the first chance for a good impression for sophomore transfer Ryder Burton, who did not see any game action while playing for a year each at BYU and West Virginia. It’s also the first chance for extended work for redshirt freshmen Adrian Posse, Nate Rogers and Cameron Jennings and an opportunity for Trace Campbell to climb the depth chart.

Kitna said he’s impressed with the talent in the room and his approach thing spring isn’t driven by where he fits on the depth chart.

“That's not really my focus,” Kitna said. “My focus is being the best I can be. It's one thing to be the starter and all these things, but I'm here for a team's success. I'm here to win, so my job is going into this season is to put our team in the best position. My focus is making all these people around me better and making myself better and doing what I need to do to make this team successful.”