Iowa Adds Five-Star OT Kadyn Proctor From Transfer Portal
A prodigal son returns — all 6'7" and 360 pounds of him.
Kadyn Proctor, the fourth-ranked prospect in the 2023 transfer portal and Rivals' highest-ranked recruit from the state of Iowa ever (#8 overall in the class of 2023), has announced that he will transfer from Alabama to Iowa.
Proctor's announcement effectively brings his college arc full circle after he decommitted from Iowa on the eve of Early Signing Day in December 2022.
Proctor, a 5-star recruit with the highest-possible Rivals rating of 6.1, was the source of considerable recruiting drama as a high schooler. The top-ranked offensive tackle prospect in the nation and the top-ranked prospect in the state of Iowa, Proctor effectively had his choice of college destinations, holding offers from the likes of Bama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, USC, and dozens more nationwide.
Given his obvious talent and proximity to Iowa City, Proctor was a high-priority target for Iowa in the 2023 recruiting class. He made 12 visits to Iowa City starting in 2019, and Iowa's persistence paid off: Proctor verbally committed to Iowa on June 30, 2022, just a week after making his official visit.
Proctor remained verbally committed to Iowa throughout the summer and fall of 2022, through the blue bloods — in particular, Alabama — continued to pursue Proctor. Iowa fans had reason to be wary of the Tide, who had successfully flipped Ross Pierschbacher, another high-profile Iowa prep tackle prospect, nine years earlier.
The day before Early Signing Day, rumor became reality as Proctor indeed decommitted from Iowa and verballed to Alabama. One day later, on December 20, 2022, Proctor signed his letter of intent with the Tide.
In 2023, Proctor did what a prospect of his pedigree was expected to do: provide an immediate impact. Proctor earned the starting left tackle job at Alabama during fall camp and started all 14 games for the Tide this season. For his efforts, Proctor was named to the 2023 All-SEC Freshman team.
Of course, life in the SEC as a freshman comes with definite lows along with the highs -- per Pro Football Focus, Proctor allowed 36 pressures, including 12 sacks, over the course of the season -- but he also produced some of his best performances against some of Alabama's stiffest competition. Proctor's highest-graded games of the season: LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia, where he was the highest-graded OL in the nation by PFF during conference championship weekend.
Proctor went up against some of the SEC's best pass rushers in those games, including Tennessee's James Pearce, Jr. and Tyler Baron and Georgia's Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams and more than held his own overall. Proctor also ended his Alabama career absolutely mauling his man on Alabama's ultimately unsuccessful final play in the Rose Bowl.
INSTANT IMPACT
Our colleagues at Tide Illustrated provided this assessment of Proctor's future after his freshman season: "Proctor is a lock to hold on to his starting role at left tackle. If he continues to build off his recent improvement, he has the talent to develop into the anchor of Alabama’s offensive line."
Obviously, Proctor will be a massive addition to Iowa's offensive line, both figuratively and literally -- he's currently listed at 6'7" and 360 pounds. The Iowa offensive line made some progress in 2023, but it still struggled against higher-end edge rushers and with consistency in general.
Adding an elite offensive tackle prospect into the OL mix will be a huge upgrade. Indeed, Proctor will set foot on campus as the best Hawkeye offensive lineman since Tyler Linderbaum and the best offensive tackle since Tristan Wirfs departed for the NFL. Hawkeye coaches will be excited to continue his development as a pro prospect; he's a very good tackle who's close to being great.
Proctor's decision to return to Iowa will also reunite him with a fellow former high-profile recruit -- prep teammate Xavier Nwankpa, a five-star prospect in the class of 2022. Proctor and Nwankpa starred on Southeast Polk's first state championship-winning team in 2021 (with Proctor continuing to anchor the 2022 title team), and their families remain close.