Former Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor commits to Iowa via transfer portal

IOWA CITY — Iowa football’s first commitment from the transfer portal is a big one.

Former Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor has committed to Iowa, he announced Saturday on social media.

Proctor, a former five-star recruit from Southeast Polk High School, told reporters he had “my mind made up when I entered the transfer portal” earlier this week.

“This is home,” Proctor said while attending Saturday’s Iowa men’s basketball game. “I love home. This is ultimately where I wanted to be. It’s the first place I thought of when I entered the transfer portal."

Proctor will likely be an immediate contributor on Iowa’s offensive line after starting all 14 games for Alabama at left tackle. The 6-foot-7, 360-pound true freshman allowed 12 sacks while taking 408 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Proctor initially committed to the Hawkeyes as a high school recruit before flipping his commitment to Alabama. The Iowa staff did not burn its bridges with Proctor, though, when he spurned the Hawkeyes.

“We have the 24-hour rule after losses and losing recruits,” Iowa football recruiting director Tyler Barnes said at the time. “Yeah, it stinks. … You guys have to do what’s best for you, and honestly, in this day and age in the transfer portal, who knows what the future holds.”

Many fans were not as kind to Proctor on social media when he chose the Crimson Tide in 2022, but the incoming Hawkeye said “that really doesn’t matter.”

“At the end of the day, all fan bases are going to do that,” Proctor said. “What happened when I left Alabama? Same kind of stuff.”

Now at Iowa, Proctor feels “really good” about being reunited with high school classmate and fellow former five-star recruit Xavier Nwankpa.

“I missed him,” Proctor said of Nwankpa. “That’s my boy ever since high school.”

Proctor joins an Iowa offensive line that already is not lacking in experience. The line is expected to return six players with 10-plus career starts, and Rusty Feth was the only regular starter who will not return.

Iowa’s other options at the two tackle positions include Mason Richman and Gennings Dunker, who were both all-Big Ten honorable mentions last year. Richman has been Iowa’s starting left tackle for the last three seasons, and Dunker has started 14 games in the last two seasons. Dunker also has experience at right guard, giving the Iowa staff some options if it chooses to start Proctor right away.

Proctor is the Hawkeyes’ lone transfer portal addition so far this year after the staff focused on retaining players with professional opportunities such as Luke Lachey, Jay Higgins and others. The Hawkeyes now have 92 scholarship players and must whittle their scholarship count to 85 by the start of the season.

Gazette columnist Mike Hlas contributed to this report.

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