Thoughts on Kadyn Proctor entering portal and Kirk Ferentz’s ongoing search for OC
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Nick Saban’s presence obviously was a big reason why Kadyn Proctor signed with Alabama.
Maybe the biggest reason.
Because Saban, who led Alabama to six national titles, retired barely a week ago, and now Proctor has officially entered the transfer portal.
The former five-star offensive lineman and 2023 Southeast Polk graduate, who once was committed to Iowa, started every game at left tackle for Alabama this past season as a true freshman and earned multiple Freshman All-America honors.
Proctor, needless to say, would be a huge addition, figuratively and literally, to an Iowa offensive line that has mostly under-performed recently, and especially in each of the past two seasons.
Once news broke that Proctor was in the portal, reports about Iowa being a possible, or likely destination, started to surface.
Some have even predicted that Proctor will join the Hawkeyes, and it makes sense since Iowa finished runner-up in his recruitment coming out of high school, and since the Iowa campus is less than two hours from his home in central Iowa.
Proctor would also be reunited with Iowa safety, close friend and former high school teammate, Xavier Nwankpa.
There is a lot to like about Iowa’s chances in this case, but whether the 6-foot-7, 360-pound Proctor zeroes in on Iowa right away, or re-opens his recruitment still seems uncertain, although, some are saying that Proctor to Iowa is already in the planning stages.
Just the fact that Proctor was committed to Iowa for an extended period shows that relationships were built during the recruiting process.
Some Iowa fans were upset and resentful when Proctor switched his commitment to Alabama, and unfortunately, that led to some inappropriate postings on social media.
But again, Proctor was previously committed to Iowa for months, and that wouldn’t have happened without mutual trust, respect and admiration.
And it would be unfair to judge an entire fan base on what a few irrelevant trolls say on social media.
Iowa not having an offensive coordinator at this moment probably doesn’t help, but it’s likely that Proctor is being kept up to date about the search.
Iowa’s offensive deficiencies, which has become a national storyline, also might be a concern to Proctor, and rightfully so.
Kirk Ferentz and his staff would have to convince Proctor that the offense is capable of moving in the right direction, and that his addition would give a significant boost to that process.
Iowa is currently over the limit in scholarships, but there are ways to fix that, especially if it means landing an impact performer.
Proctor will almost certainly have his pick of schools, as was the case for him coming out of high school.
So, Kirk Ferentz and his staff will have to make their best sales pitch.
It wasn’t good enough the first time, but that was when Nick Saban coached the Crimson Tide.
The Iowa Swarm Collective is also a year older and more stable, and that’s good because other schools will come hard at Proctor with huge NIL deals.
Former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer has been hired to replace Saban, and DeBoer right away has been challenged by having some key players enter the portal.
Proctor might ultimately decide to stay at Alabama
But until he does make a decision, the chance of him being a Hawkeye will have fans, and some the media following his every move.
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Meanwhile, Kirk Ferentz’s search for a new offensive coordinator is ongoing, but Iowa said in a release on Tuesday that an announcement is expected in the near future.
Former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst is reportedly no longer a candidate, but it seems his status has changed from either being a candidate or not being a candidate multiple times during the search.
Some in the media even have referred to Chryst as the one-time frontrunner for the job to replace Brian Ferentz, but that is merely speculation as this point.
Kirk Ferentz has been very tight-lipped throughout his search, and with that comes a lot of rumors, speculation, and even some silly talk, as for example, Scott Frost supposedly being a candidate at one point.