IOWA CITY, Iowa — When it comes to recruiting pain, Iowa losing five-star tackle Kadyn Proctor to Alabama one day before signing day has the equivalence of Michigan State running back L.J. Scott stretching across the goal line with 27 seconds left in the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game.
This is pain. Real pain. The type of pain that you can’t shrug off and invoke the 24-hour rule. It took weeks for Iowa’s players to recover mentally from that 2015 loss. If you recall, that’s when two defenders stood up Scott at the 1-yard line, but the runner twisted off and lunged for the game-winning touchdown. It ended unbeaten Iowa’s College Football Playoff hopes with a 16-13 loss, and an ensuing Rose Bowl trip provided no salve to that burn.
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Iowa is in a similar same spot with Proctor, who strung the program along from his June 30 commitment until a trip to Tuscaloosa this weekend changed his mind. At nearly 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, Proctor combines rare size with a frame capable of chiseling himself into muscle. He has the potential to start right away no matter where he goes. In 2025, he could win the Outland Trophy (fifth for Iowa, seventh for Alabama) and become a top-10 draft pick in the spring of 2026.
Alabama has enjoyed plenty of offensive line recruits in the past few years who fit that description. From 2020 through Wednesday’s signing class, the Tide collected two other committed five-star tackles, seven four-star tackles and a quartet of four-star interior linemen. Alabama is the nation’s top program, and Nick Saban is the best coach in college football history. That six offensive linemen have hit the transfer portal since May is of little consequence. National championships don’t win themselves; players do.
In today’s college football recruiting, programs like Alabama are playing five-card draw and throwing away pairs to get a straight flush. Places like Iowa preferred five-card stud but are adapting and praying for three-of-a-kind. It’s the difference between dealing with high rollers and getting rolled by the Tide.
Despite its worst season-long performance in at least 15 years, Iowa’s offensive line has a tremendous history and reputation under Kirk Ferentz. During the past 20 years, the Hawkeyes have developed six offensive linemen into first-round draft picks. The only program with more? Alabama with 10.
At a macro level, it makes sense for Proctor to bolt for Alabama. The Crimson Tide play for national titles; the Hawkeyes compete for Big Ten West trophies. Alabama is a feeder program for the Pro Bowl; Iowa provides the adhesive and grit for many NFL rosters. Alabama had 58 former players on NFL opening-day rosters this season, tops among all college programs. Iowa ranked 10th with 31. It’s the difference between great and good.
Home away from home. Roll Tide 🙏🏾💕🐘 pic.twitter.com/hE9I9dnFxo
— Kadyn Proctor (@KadynProctor1) December 20, 2022
But the micro involves emotions, and there’s no logic to heartbreak. Proctor, the highest-ranked recruit in state history, lives in central Iowa. His high school colors are black and yellow, and he wore No. 74 because of former Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs. Proctor took dozens of unofficial visits to Iowa’s campus from eighth grade onward. He was at Kinnick Stadium the first day fans could witness the team in person following the COVID-19 pandemic. When former high school teammate Xavier Nwankpa, a five-star safety, chose Iowa over Ohio State last December, Proctor stayed at Nwankpa’s commitment ceremony longer than anyone outside of family and Southeast Polk’s coaching staff.
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When it came time for Proctor to make official visits in June, he opted for five programs outside of Iowa because he had built a strong relationship with the Iowa staff and had familiarity with the program. He started with Arkansas State to see former teammate Jaxon Dailey, who is a quarterback. But after visiting Alabama in mid-June, Proctor shut down the recruiting whirlwind. He canceled his other official visits and instead opted for Iowa’s major recruiting weekend on June 24. Six days later — and 20 minutes after news broke about USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten — Proctor announced his commitment to Iowa.
Proctor was a fixture along the Kinnick sideline before many Iowa games this year. A Des Moines-area auto dealership took care of Proctor in mid-October with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It seemed like the perfect match: a young man from the Des Moines area staying in the state to provide a major lift to a position of need. Then it unraveled.
Whether it was a wandering eye or the opportunity to profit more financially from NIL, Proctor looked around. When he wasn’t at Kinnick Stadium for the Iowa-Wisconsin game, questions emerged. Proctor had flown to Oregon on an official visit to watch the Ducks’ game with Washington. This month, Proctor accepted in-home visits from Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Saban while remaining committed to the Hawkeyes. Even before his trip to Tuscaloosa, Proctor welcomed Ferentz for one final meeting.
Proctor left up his Iowa commitment tweet until Tuesday, which gave some fans false hope. But, ultimately, the Hawkeyes were left at the altar. This is different than a player from Atlanta, Detroit or even Chicago spurning Iowa at the last minute. There’s a personal attachment to Proctor, and it’s going to take time to get over this one.
In some ways, this situation mirrors the tug-of-war between Iowa and Alabama for offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher in the summer of 2013. Pierschbacher, a four-star lineman from Cedar Falls, Iowa, committed to the Hawkeyes before Saban came calling. Pierschbacher flipped a couple of times in his conversations with the staffs before settling on Alabama for the 2014 season. He became an integral piece of the Crimson Tide’s offensive line as a four-year starting guard and opened four College Football Playoff championship games. He won two titles, became a fifth-round draft pick and is a backup lineman with the Detroit Lions.
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Had Pierschbacher stuck with Iowa, he would have started four seasons at left tackle. Some fans believe he would have become a higher-round draft selection had he stayed home. That’s unhealthy speculation because there are quality multi-year starting Iowa linemen who went undrafted — like Alaric Jackson and Pierschbacher’s high school teammate Ike Boettger — who remain on NFL rosters.
The difference between Pierschbacher and Proctor is about timing. Pierschbacher chose Alabama a few weeks before the 2013 season. Proctor’s flip took place one day before signing day. It’s a dead period now, and Iowa can’t invite a freshman prospect to a bowl practice or visit him in school. Sure, the staff can make calls, but the coaches are cut off from an in-person pitch.
If there are lingering hard feelings or resentment beyond signing day, it’s not that Proctor flipped to the most dominant program in the sport’s history. It’s that he didn’t give the one for which he grew up cheering adequate time to replace him.
(Photo: Scott Dochterman / The Athletic)
