TUSCALOOSA — Offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor announced his decision to return to Alabama on Tuesday. This comes after Proctor officially re-entered the transfer portal on Tuesday with a “do no contact” distinction.
In doing so, Proctor returns to Alabama where he started every game during the 2023 season, and wraps an eventful few months for the rising sophomore.
Proctor was one of the players to depart from Alabama’s program following Nick Saban’s retirement when a new transfer window opened. Proctor announced his commitment to Iowa, where he was committed for most of his senior season of high school before flipping to Alabama just before early signing day in 2022. But the Iowa reunion was shortlived as Proctor expressed his intent to transfer from Iowa on March 20, one day before the Hawkeyes began spring practice.
Immediately following, all signs pointed to Proctor returning to Tuscaloosa, including him posting a picture of Michael Jordan’s famous “I’m back” quote on his Instagram account. The speculation spiked last weekend during Alabama’s A-Day game when Proctor was spotted as a spectator among the fans.
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What does it mean for Alabama?
Proctor’s return brings Alabama’s scholarship count to 84 in the early part of the spring transfer window. He fills a huge need on Alabama’s offensive line; Saban (during the 2023 early signing period) and Kalen DeBoer throughout spring practice highlighted that Alabama’s offensive line is short on numbers. In Proctor, the team is getting someone who can help the group immediately and is acquainted with their culture.
He endured a good amount of first-year struggles as Alabama’s starting left tackle in 2023 but was trending up by season’s end and was expected to take a second-year leap in 2024.
“He was a young pup when he first got in,” teammate and NFL Draft prospect JC Latham said of Proctor at Alabama’s pro day. “Then just from summer, fall camp and moving forward, just the ability to adjust on the fly and keep things going. Look at the last game compared to the first game, you’ll see improvement right there.”
Proctor’s return to Alabama stabilizes the tackle spot, where the Tide worked Elijah Pritchett exclusively with the first team at left tackle and rotated Wilkin Formby and Miles McVay at right tackle during spring practice. Proctor, 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds, might have to shed some weight to fit the new system under DeBoer, but he is an immediate plug-and-play caliber player with 14 starts and 792 snaps under his belt.
Should Proctor be a starter on Alabama’s offensive line this fall, it will be an earned position as Pritchett, Formby and McVay benefitted from a full spring learning the new scheme and receiving the bulk of first-team reps. Proctor’s arrival and the competition he brings should elevate the play of all tackles. And competitive depth is just as important as having front-line starters for a very young offensive line unit overall.
Proctor is a welcomed addition to an offensive line unit that’s extremely strong in the interior with Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts at guard and James Brockermeyer and Parker Brailsford at center. There’s a chance that Alabama will continue to seek offensive line help in the portal, likely from a depth perspective. An ideal candidate is a player with the versatility to play multiple positions.
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(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
2024-04-16 21:15:43
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