Kadyn Proctor opens up to 247Sports on why he left Iowa for Alabama a second time
The transfer that was heard around Iowa. And rather unfortunately for most fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Kadyn Proctor, the Iowa native, burned the Hawkeyes not once, but twice.
Proctor flipped last minute to sign with the Alabama Crimson Tide after being committed to the Hawkeyes for most of his recruiting journey. Following his freshman year at Alabama, Proctor transferred back home to Iowa where he was met with open arms. Despite that, he left once again and burned bridges across the state.
Many were frustrated, many were mad, and many were confused as to why Proctor played Iowa twice. He has opened up on his decision to 247Sports that was reported by Alex Scarborough.
“I definitely regret it,” he said. “It’s probably one of the worst decisions that I’ve made in my life. Because, looking back, I had so many people that cared for me here and were trying to tell me that this was the best place for me, and I really wasn’t thinking it through. I let Coach [Kalen] DeBoer and the staff talk to me, trying to convince me to stay, but I wasn’t really sitting there and listening to them. I was just so hell bent on going back home, no one was going to change my mind.
“Even my parents told me that, but they were like, ‘OK, you’re going to find out for yourself.’ And that’s exactly what happened. I gave them credit. I said, ‘You’re right.’ Nothing else I can do but say you’re right and I made a mistake.” – Alex Scarborough, 247Sports.
Proctor left Alabama amid Nick Saban’s retirement. The Crimson Tide were shuffling and he decided to return to familiar territory in Iowa. His reason for going back to Alabama was rooted in apologies but to the Crimson Tide, not the Hawkeyes.
The moment he entered the transfer portal, he drove to Alabama’s football facility and walked straight to DeBoer’s office where he apologized face-to-face.
“I’m sorry for not hearing y’all out,” he said. “I’m ready to get back and do everything for this team.”
Proctor sighed.
“It was humbling because I’m not really the type of person to do that,” he said. “But I felt like that was the right thing to do because I realized I really didn’t listen.” – Scarborough, 247Sports
Once the dust settled, Iowa moved on. They began to focus on themselves and the players in-house ahead of the 2024 season. The Kadyn Proctor saga burned many Iowa fans and left a bad taste in many’s mouths.
All that is left to do now is look ahead for both Proctor and the Hawkeyes.
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