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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Iowa offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, the former top-10 recruit who transferred from Alabama after coach Nick Saban’s retirement, is set to reenter the portal and rejoin the Crimson Tide, a source told ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz acknowledged Proctor’s decision to leave the school.
“It is unfortunate that Kadyn has informed us of his intentions to leave our program today,” Ferentz said. “We wish him well in the future.”
Proctor, a Des Moines, Iowa, native, started for Alabama at left tackle throughout his freshman season last fall. But he entered the portal Jan. 17 along with others and quickly landed at Iowa, where he had verbally committed in high school before eventually signing with Alabama.
“No bridges were burned,” Proctor told reporters in Iowa on Jan. 20 while attending a Hawkeyes basketball game. “That’s why it was so easy for me to pick [Iowa] when I did enter the transfer portal because I had those relationships. Even when I was doing bad in the SEC, they hit me up and said, ‘We’re proud of you.'”
Iowa later self-reported a violation to the NCAA, noting that a staff member sent a text message to Proctor during the 2023 season. Proctor was ESPN’s No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 10 overall recruit in the 2023 class.
Proctor’s departure is a blow to an Iowa offensive line that has struggled in recent years but expected improvement in 2024. Alabama is reshaping its offensive line after the coaching change and added Washington center Parker Brailsford in the portal. Redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett has been working as the first-team left tackle early in spring practice.
The Athletic first reported Proctor’s plan to reenter the transfer portal.
