Hawkeyes Get Another Shot at Kadyn Proctor

Iowa Native, Talented Alabama OT Enters Transfer Portal Wednesday

'23 Plesant Hill (IA) Southeast Polk Offensive Lineman Kadyn Proctor at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Oct. 9, 2021. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

Hawkeye Nation was abuzz Wednesday when news broke that Kadyn Proctor was entering the transfer portal. Iowa Football once secured a verbal commitment from the talented in-state product before he signed with blue blood Alabama. 

Proctor just completed his true freshman season as a starting left tackle for a Crimson Tide team that reached the College Football Playoff. Pro Football Focus graded him as the top offensive lineman in the semifinals. Then Alabama coach Nick Saban retired. 

No doubt, the 6-foot-7, 360-pounder will draw plenty of interest from top programs across the county just as he did as a five-star recruit from Pleasant Hill (IA) Southeast Polk High School. Hawkeye fans are pulling for him to come back to his home state. 

Proctor and his family had yet to discuss his entrance into the portal publicly at the time of publishing this piece. That didn't stop others from speculating on what he was going to do. 

Several national reporters threw out Iowa as the team to watch in the pursuit of Proctor. Local journalists did the same. Maybe they had inside information or were trying to connect dots or feeding off each other. They report, you decide. 

Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa, Proctor's friend and prep teammate, authored a cryptic Tweet Wednesday morning. Some Hawkeye fans read into it being about Proctor. Shortly after that, Nwankpa posted information about merchandise he's selling.

That's where we often find ourselves. Information moves fast. When it doesn't, we create potential conclusions. Speculation turns to narratives taken as truths. That's frequently followed by disappointment and anger when the story ends differently. 

I don't know what will happen with Proctor. I don't have a crystal ball. I'm not going to lead folks down a road even if they might follow. The prudent approach is letting it play out. 

We're witnessing these pitfalls in coverage of the Hawkeye offensive coordinator opening. Everybody who's invested wants to know yesterday. That leads to a whole lot of misinformation and cockeyed speculation. 

If that's how you roll, more power to you. Consumers are free to buy what they choose. As long as it isn't hurting anyone, roll away. 

That leads us to an interesting discussion that popped up with Iowa being a speculative landing spot for Proctor. Would he and his family hold a grudge for the negativity directed at them by a faction Hawkeye fans when he flipped his pledge to Alabama? 

Of course, that led to speculation on social media about whether they would hold a grudge or not. Debate followed even though nobody knew. 

Again, to each his own. The best development from this situation would be fans not acting like asses when teenagers don't pick the program they root for. Nobody should hold their breath waiting on this outcome, however.

If Proctor ends up with the Hawkeyes, celebrate. If he doesn't, move on. Cheer for the student-athletes who choose to compete for your favorite team. 

Publicly, the Iowa coaches handled Proctor's change of heart 13 months ago well. Not all bridges were burned around here.  

It would be a cool story if he ended up a Hawkeye, helping revive an offense that's hit rock bottom. He's worth the investment.  

After going through the recruiting process before and then experiencing a season of major college football, he and his family have a better idea what's best for them. That knowledge will override all of the people telling them what they should do.