Born October 9, 1993, in Madison, Wisconsin, George Krieger Kittle grew up in a family steeped in athletic excellence. His father Bruce was a four-year letterman and co-captain of Iowa's 1982 Rose Bowl squad before becoming a college football coach, while his mother Jan Krieger earned Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame honors and All-America recognition as a basketball player at Drake University. After moving to Iowa in 2000, Kittle attended multiple high schools before finishing at Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma, where he committed to play for the University of Iowa.