George Krieger Kittle born October 9, 1993 is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and was a First-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2023.
George Kittle Facts
- Born: October 9, 1993 (age 30)
- Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
- Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
- Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
- High school: Norman (Norman, Oklahoma)
- College: Iowa (2012–2016)
George Kittle Early years
Kittle was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and moved to Iowa at a young age. He attended Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa; Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.He committed to the University of Iowa to play college football.His father, Bruce Kittle, also played at Iowa and is a former college football coach
George Kittle College career
Kittle played at Iowa from 2012 to 2016 under head coach Kirk Ferentz As a freshman, Kittle had a limited role behind senior C. J. Fiedorowicz, junior Ray Hamilton, and sophomore Jake Duzey. He had his first collegiate reception, which went for 47 yards, against the Missouri State Bears.Overall, he caught five passes for 108 yards
Iowa’s tight end unit remained crowded for Kittle in the 2014 season. Along with the return of Hamilton and Duzey, junior Henry Krieger-Coble added to the depth. Kittle had a lone reception for 25 yards against Maryland as his only catch of the season.
Kittle’s role expanded in the 2015 season. On September 26, 2015, against North Texas, he scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 43-yard reception from quarterback C. J. Beathard. Overall, Kittle had 20 receptions for 290 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in the 2015 season.His six receiving touchdowns ranked sixth in the Big Ten Conference.
As a senior in the 2016 season, Kittle headlined a tight end unit that contained junior Peter Pekar and freshman Noah Fant.He had his best statistical game against North Dakota State with five receptions for 110 receiving yardsIn his senior season, he had 22 receptions for 314 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.During his collegiate career, Kittle had 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns.
George Kittle Professional career
As a top tight end prospect, Kittle was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. Kittle’s overall performance was well received, as he finished third among tight ends in the broad jump, fifth in the 40-yard dash, and finished sixth among his position group in the vertical jumpOn March 27, 2017, Kittle participated at Iowa’s Pro Day, along with C. J. Beathard, Desmond King, Jaleel Johnson, Greg Mabin, Riley McCarron, and four other prospects. He completed his combine drills, finishing the short shuttle (4.55s), three-cone drill, and also ran positional drills. Scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended, including Cincinnati Bengals tight end coach Jonathan Hayes. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kittle was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the fifth best tight end prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, sixth best by NFL analyst Gil Brandt, and was ranked the eighth best tight end by NFLDraftScout.com.
George Kittle 2018 season
In the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Kittle had five receptions for 90 yards in a 24–16 loss. During Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kittle recorded an 82-yard touchdown reception as part of a 125-yard performance as the 49ers narrowly lost by a score of 29–27. During Week 7 against
the Rams, he had five receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in the 39–10 loss.During Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, Kittle set a franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end with 210, all coming in the first half, as well as becoming the first 49ers tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards.During the season finale against the Rams, Kittle broke Travis Kelce’s single-season receiving yards record for a tight end, less than an hour after Kelce broke the record, on a 43-yard touchdown and finished the season with 1,377 yards. The record was again broken by Kelce in 2020. He was named as a Pro Bowler for the first timeHe was ranked 29th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
George Kittle 2020 season
On August 13, Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the 49ers with an $18 million signing bonus, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league. After missing two games due to a knee
George Kittle injury,Kittle returned in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, finishing with 183 receiving yards and a touchdown as the 49ers lost 20–25. In Week 6 against the Rams, he had seven receptions for 109 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 24–16 victory On November 5,
2020, Kittle was placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his foot.He was activated on December 25, 2020.n an injury-riddled season, Kittle finished with 48 receptions for 634 receiving yards and two touchdowns in eight games.He was ranked 50th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.