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Five-star offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor has spurned his hometown program Iowa twice in as many years on the recruiting trail. The once-prized recruit initially committed to play for the Hawkeyes out of high school before flipping to Alabama just before Signing Day.
After spending a season in Tuscaloosa, Proctor opted to return home, transferring to Iowa following his freshman All-American campaign. He was on campus less than two months before announcing a decision to flip once again!
The news sent shockwaves throughout the college football world due to both Proctor’s star power and the never-before-seen scenario of having a player transfer between schools twice in such a short span.
After the lineman’s initial decision to return to Alabama, stories arose of a spring break trip with former Crimson Tide teammates which potentially helped bring him back.
Now, a new report on the situation has been revealed, suggesting Kadyn Proctor’s teammates at Iowa were hesitant to trust him.
From Alex Scarborough of 24/7 Sports:
“What he thought he was getting in a potential Iowa homecoming wasn’t all it was cracked up to be… Getting to Iowa, it wasn’t quite the reception that he expected. The teammates were a little bit hesitant, because remember, he flipped his commitment from Iowa to Alabama at the last minute coming out of high school in the first place.”
When asked to detail the animosity between Proctor and his new program, Scarborough continued.
“I think there was just a little bit of what could be interpreted as coldness… It just wasn’t the warm reception you’d expect… Internally, there was a lot of hesitancy about, ‘Is this guy really all in?’ Because remember, it was at the last minute he decided to flip from Iowa to Alabama. ‘Is this guy really going to stay and is he really going to do the things we’re committed to doing?'”
“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.”@ByScarborough discussed why former 5⭐️ OT Kadyn Proctor decided to leave Iowa after 2 months on campus. @Bama_247 pic.twitter.com/Ttufe1C7yD
— 247Sports (@247Sports) March 28, 2024
It seems that despite the decision to return home, those new Hawkeye teammates remembered how Kadyn Proctor played the program in his prior recruitment, and they weren’t ready to welcome him back with open arms.
In the end, maybe those suspicions were justified.
Proctor is expected to transfer back to Alabama, though he still has to spend some time at Iowa while waiting for the transfer portal window to open.