TUSCALOOSA — Offensive lineman Kadin Proctor announced his decision to return to Alabama on Tuesday. This comes after Proctor officially re-entered the transfer portal with a “no contact” distinction on Tuesday.
In doing so, Proctor will return to Alabama, where he started every game during the 2023 season, capping an eventful few months for the rising sophomore.
Proctor was one of the players who left the Alabama program following Nick Saban's retirement, opening a new transfer window. Proctor announced his commitment to Iowa and spent most of his high school senior season there before transferring to Alabama just before early signing day in 2022. However, the reunion at Iowa was short-lived as Proctor announced his intention to transfer from Iowa on March 20th. , the day before the Hawkeyes began spring practice.
Shortly after, all signs pointed to Proctor returning to Tuscaloosa, including posting Michael Jordan's famous “I'm back” photo on his Instagram account. Speculation skyrocketed last weekend when Proctor was seen in the audience at Alabama's game against A-Day.
Free daily sports updates delivered straight to your inbox.sign up
Free daily sports updates delivered straight to your inbox.sign up
buy
What does that mean for Alabama?
With Proctor's return, Alabama now has 84 scholarships available during the first half of the spring transfer window. He fills a huge need on Alabama's offensive line. Saban (who is on an early contract in 2023) and Karen DeBoer emphasized throughout spring practice that Alabama's offense is understaffed. At Proctor, our team is looking for someone who is ready to help the group and is familiar with the group's culture.
He endured quite a struggle in his first year as Alabama's starting left tackle in 2023, but was on the rise by the end of the season and was expected to make a second-year breakthrough in 2024.
“When he first came in, he was a young puppy,” teammate and NFL draft pick J.C. Latham said of Proctor at Alabama's pro day. “And just going from summer to fall camp and moving on, you just have to have the ability to adjust on the fly and get things going. If you look at the last game compared to the first game, you can see there You will see an improvement.”
Proctor's return to Alabama stabilized the tackle spot, with the Tide focusing first-team Elijah Pritchett at left tackle and rotating Wilkin Formby and Miles McVay to right tackle during spring practice. The 6-foot-7, 360-pound Proctor started 14 games and played 792 snaps, although he may have to lose some weight to adjust to DeBoer's new system. He is a ready-to-play, plug-and-play player.
If Proctor becomes the starter on Alabama's offensive line this fall, it will be a natural position as Pritchett, Formby and McVay learn a new scheme all spring and benefit from having most of the first-team players. It will be. The addition of Proctor and the competition he brings should improve the play of all tackles. And competitive depth is just as important as having front-line starters for an overall very young offensive line unit.
Proctor is a welcome addition to Interior's extremely strong offensive line unit, which features guards Tyler Booker and Jayden Roberts and centers James Brockermeyer and Parker Brailsford. It's possible that Alabama continues to look for offensive line help in the portal, perhaps from a depth standpoint. The ideal candidate is a versatile player who can play multiple positions.
Must read
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
