Claire Kittle Takes Fans Behind the Scenes of Her SI Swimsuit Debut With New Photos

The content creator traveled to the shores of Captiva Island for her first feature.

Claire Kittle was photographed by Katherine Goguen on Captiva Island, Fla. Swimsuit by Bamba Swim. / Katherine Goguen/Sports Illustrated

In case you missed it, Claire Kittle joined SI Swimsuit for the first time this month, gracing the front page of the magazine’s February 2026 digital issue as one of six cover stars alongside Christen Goff, Brittany Mahomes, Haley Cavinder, Ronika Love and Normani.

was photographed by Katherine Goguen on Captiva Island, Fla. Swimsuit by Bamba Swim. / Katherine Goguen/Sports Illustrated

For the content creator, the feat also marked a fun, full-circle moment with her husband, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. As she told the magazine on the set of her debut shoot, “In college, my husband was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for football. So now, I get to have one, too.”

And earlier this week, the HOSS Tailgate Tour founder opened up about her experience with the brand, taking to Instagram to share her thoughts with her nearly half a million followers.

Check out Kittle’s post on Instagram here.

Claire Kittle was photographed by Katherine Goguen on Captiva Island, Fla. Swimsuit by FAE. / Katherine Goguen/Sports Illustrated

“I finally have a free second after quite possibly the craziest week of my life. I cannot believe I get to say I’m a [SI Swimsuit] digital cover model!” Kittle wrote in the caption under the 18-photo carousel. “I’ve wanted to be a part of the SI family for as long as I can remember. Timing truly is everything and I wouldn’t want it written any differently.”

Among the clips featured were shots of the model warming up on the uncharacteristically cold set on Captiva Island, Fla., alongside fellow model Goff, as well as a few behind the scenes videos taken as she prepared to pose for her photos. “I worked my butt off for two months to look and feel my absolute best and I’m so proud of that strong girl,” she noted, later adding, “I can’t wait til I’m 80 and my granddaughters think I’m an icon. Confidence is King, Queens ⚡️”

Check out Kittle’s full 2026 gallery here.

View this post on Instagram

“Love this post and you [Claire Kittle] !!!!!” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day wrote in the comment section. “This is what 10000% shows up as. Thank you for being so WONDERFUL! Gengar forever !!! 👻”

“A star!!!!!!!! Obsessed with you,” Goff declared, later referring to their sweet shot together by adding, “Last pic 🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻”

“👏🏼🔥😍🤍,” Mahomes applauded.

“You did that!” Love cheered, “And you’ll keep doing it forever 🙂‍↔️😍”

“I love you ❤️❤️❤️ UR AMAZINGGGG,” Cavinder proclaimed.

And of course, Kittle’s husband also stopped by to share some love, penning, “My wife!!! You rock!”

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