"There was just a coldness that wasn't expected": CFB columnist suggests 'cold shoulder' from Iowa led to Kadyn Proctor's return to Alabama
Freshman offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor has decided to return to the Alabama Crimson Tide, after spending just two months with the Iowa Hawkeyes. And one source has revealed that there could be a good reason for why he went back to Tuscaloosa after such a brief time.
247Sports posted a short video on X (formerly Twitter) indicating that Iowa may have given Proctor and his family the proverbial "cold shoulder" when it came to requesting even basic information. This was reported by Alex Scarborough:
Here`s what Scarborough said:
"I think it was almost as simple as a young man making a rash and maybe emotional decision in the first place, and then learning a little bit the hard way that what he experienced at Alabama wasn't maybe as bad as what he remembered it to be, and what he thought he was getting in a potential Iowa homecoming wasn't all it's cracked to be either."
He continued:
"At one point, (Kadyn)'s parents tried to reach out just to get some basic information... got no response. I think there was just a coldness that wasn't expected."
As mentioned in Scarborough's report, Kadyn Proctor is a Des Moines native, and that likely played a major part in his wanting to play for his hometown Hawkeyes. But that doesn't matter now, as the six-foot-seven, 355-pound youngster is back with the Crimson Tide for the foreseeable future.
A former five-star recruit in 2023, Proctor was part of some sort of a mass exodus from the Tide following the departure of legendary head coach Nick Saban. He entered the transfer portal on January 17 (via Sports Illustrated), hoping for a homecoming to the program he initially committed to coming out of high school in Southeast Polk.
Kadyn Proctor's Alabama return is a boom for the Tide
With Nick Saban now out and Bama lacking in depth at the offensive line, Kadyn Proctor's return to Tuscaloosa is welcoming news for Crimson Tide fans. The team has already lost starting tackle JC Latham to the NFL draft, and they need someone fresh to grab hold of the reins for a while.
Latham made his feelings known about Proctor`s decision (via AL.com):
“We’re the standard. The grass isn’t always greener in other places. So when things happen and you think it might be better somewhere else, you get to find out the hard way that it’s not. It’s Alabama for spring practice.”