Howe: Wishing Kadyn Proctor Well

Talented In-State OL Flips to Alabama, Hawkeyes Must Move On

'23 Pleasant Hill (IA) Southeast Polk High OL Kadyn Proctor visiting Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 10, 2022. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Kadyn Proctor upset some Iowa Football fans this week. He did so by making a decision he felt was best for he and his family. 

Take a couple of seconds and re-read that first paragraph. Let it marinate. Imagine it's you or your child. He's happy. You're sad. Yes, both can be true

Disappointment seems like an appropriate response for Hawkeye fanatics (fans). They invest a lot financially and emotionally. Proctor would be the highest-ranked recruit in program history. Instead, he's headed to Alabama. 

In mourning, don't attack the kid or his family on social media. It's a bad look and unbecoming for a base. Recruits are humans like you. It's college football, not war. 

I'm happy for Proctor if he's happy with his choice. To me, that's what matters most. My lens differs from that of the fan. 

I enjoy seeing Iowa student-athletes win because they're happy. I get to know them and like them as people. I feel good when they feel good. I also know how much time and energy they commit to their respective sports. I respect that. 

Covering Proctor could have been fun. To date, I like what I know of him as a person and a player. The folks in Alabama are lucky. Hopefully they appreciate him. He's an Iowan. 

In Hawkeye Nation, it's time to move on. And part of that means assessing the state of the program on an ever-changing landscape. That's not easy. 

We can't quantify how much NIL weighed into Proctor's decision. Maybe it was the main reason. If that's the case, could Iowa have matched the money? If it could and didn't, what does that say? 

Thanks to the NCAA's idiocy in losing a 9-0 Supreme Court decision, we're left in the dark on a lot of levels. The system is unregulated for all intents and purposes. It's the back room at a gangster bar. Deals are going down out of the public eye, some of them unsavory. 

Iowa cranked up its Swarm NIL Collective later than some of its peers. We hear it's doing well. We don't know how it compares with the competition. 

It helped with the Hawkeyes landing Michigan transfers Cade McNamara and Erick All. Again, we don't know what role, if any, it played in losing Proctor, starting linebacker Jestin Jacobs to Oregon or any other former Iowa player in the portal. 

It makes sense that collectives operate on a budget. Decisions must be made on how to allocate available funds. Enticing McNamara and All could be leading to others exiting, feeling they deserve more for already sweating for the program. 

It's free agency. Schools make offers beyond scholarships. Student-athletes choose. It's not all about money. Kids take less cash if other factors win them over. However, you must be competitive financially. 

The process never ends. It includes raising money and managing the roster. Iowa has time on its side before a new season kicks off. 

It needs help on the offensive line. Proctor was going to help. Now he's not. Find help, internally or externally. Success depends on it. 

So far, counting Proctor, the Hawkeyes are losing 10 potential scholarship players that could have been on 2023 roster. Jacobs, receivers Keagan Johnson (Kansas State) and Arland Bruce IV, and others must be replaced. Iowa is at 21 known verbal commitments in the current recruiting class along with McNamara and All. 

Is it ahead or behind so far in forming a roster that should be expected to compete for a Big Ten West title next fall? Would you trade the guys Iowa is losing for the guys it's gaining, Hawkeye faithful? 

Answers will vary. We'll know in around nine months. That's a long time with plenty of resources to figure it out. 

All is fair in love and war...and recruiting.