Kadyn Proctor was a huge transfer portal pickup for the Iowa Hawkeyes this offseason, literally and figuratively.
Iowa was able to bring Proctor "back home" after he spent his freshman season with the Alabama Crimson Tide. From Des Moines, Iowa, Proctor signed with Nick Saban as a five-star offensive tackle, ranked No. 1 at his position in the 2023 class.
He was a 13-game starter at left tackle and on the All-SEC freshman team, but unfortunately for the Tide, Saban's retirement had the 6-foot-7, 360-pound behemoth looking elsewhere. Iowa City made the most sense considering Iowa's ability to churn out NFL-ready offensive linemen, but it does sound as if the Hawkeyes got a bit of a head start when it came to convincing Proctor to become a Hawkeye.
Scott Dochterman is reporting that Iowa is "self-reporting" a Level III impermissible contact violation as it relates to Proctor. Apparently, an assistant coach had texted him in September of 2023 when he was still with the Tide.
Iowa is in the process of self-reporting a Level III violation with regard to impermissible contact with Kadyn Proctor. It’s in regard to a text sent to Proctor, then at Alabama, last September after tough game in which an Iowa staffer wrote “hang in there, buddy” to Proctor.…
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) February 1, 2024
That's pretty small potatoes compared to, let's say, an alleged sign-stealing spy ring, but that is impermissible contact nonetheless -- especially when following Proctor's trail back to Iowa.
Of course, it's not like the Iowa staffer had a leg to stand on at the moment. According to the timeline, he was probably texting Proctor after Alabama's 34-24 loss to Texas, an eventual College Football Playoff team. Alabama went on to win 11 straight from that point and make the CFP.
Meanwhile, Iowa struggled to score over 16 points a game this past season.
Perhaps having Proctor in the fold now will help that.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!