Steady-hand center imported from UCF to stabilize an Arkansas line in flux — local coverage keeps reaching for the word 'steady,' and a Rimington Trophy watch-list nod says the sport's center evaluators noticed too. Kitler is the classic fifth-year interior anchor: 6-3, 303, seasoned across G5 and now SEC fronts, trusted to run protections for a new-look offense, and confident enough to send warning shots at Arkansas State's defensive line through the press. However, there is no charted production here and no draft-media footprint at all; watch lists run long, and a 6-3 center who signed as the No. 1433 recruit needs a visibly dominant SEC season to force his way onto boards. Priority-free-agent path with a real NFL route if he stays in the Rimington conversation into November — centers who call protections cleanly always get a camp invite, and the good ones stick around for a decade.

• Sports Illustrated Jul 16, 2026

  Arkansas Football's Most Important Players for 2026: No. 9 Caden Kitler - Sports Illustrated