Former Alabama QB Has Pointed Message to Fans on Iowa ‘Tampering’ With Tide Transfer

The transfer portal has not been kind to Alabama in light of Nick Saban’s retirement earlier this month. Among the notable departures is Kadyn Proctor, a starter at offensive tackle for the Crimson Tide as a freshman in 2023, who is heading back to his home state of Iowa to play for Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes.

Proctor had been an Iowa high school commit before flipping and ultimately playing at Alabama. 

After making his decision, Proctor discussed the move during a Hawkeyes basketball game, saying that members of the program had stayed in contact with him during his mid-year struggles at Bama.

“No bridges were burned, so that’s why it was so easy for me to pick them when I did enter the transfer portal, because we still had those relationships,” Proctor said. “Even after I was doing bad in the SEC, and, you know, struggling, they hit me up and said, ‘We’re proud of you, you’re going to get through this.’”

Here is what the newest Iowa transfer @KadynProctor1 had to say about his decision to come back home, and the warm welcome he's received from the fan base so far. pic.twitter.com/9FJI5GN7CL

— Camille Gear (@CamilleGearTV) January 20, 2024

Based on Proctor’s statement, it sounds like Iowa’s staffers were more lending words of encouragement during a trying season than actively recruiting him. Of course, that didn’t stop plenty of discourse about whether the program tampered with him, ultimately leading to his transfer decision.

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy weighed in on the move during his Always College Football podcast and hand-waved any tampering concerns.

“Lot of people all bent of shape about the tampering. Y’all, it’s about relationships. It’s all about relationships,” McElroy said. “Iowa stayed in touch with Kaden Proctor, maybe he was a little homesick. He’s now going to go home, and that’s a big addition for Iowa and Kirk Ferentz.”

The ESPN analyst believes this could be a positive move for Proctor on the field as well, given the difference in pass rusher between the SEC and Big Ten.

“The SEC, you’re gonna have a lot of really twitchy pass rushers. That didn’t end well for Kadyn Proctor last year. But at Iowa, if he slides in to play guard perhaps, if he drops a little bit of weight, I think he can be a difference maker, an All-Big Ten potential type of player for the Hawkeyes.”

Even with some struggles during his season at Alabama, Proctor was an All-SEC freshman team selection in ’23.