Head coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed Tuesday that offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor is leaving the Iowa football program. The news was first reported by Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.
This is a blow to the Hawkeyes, who have struggled on the offensive line the last few seasons and were slated to start spring practice on Wednesday. Proctor was expected to start at left tackle this fall.
“It is unfortunate that Kadyn has informed us of his intentions to leave our program today. We wish him well in the future,” Ferentz wrote.
Proctor announced his commitment to Iowa on Jan. 20 after spending his first collegiate season with Alabama. The 6-foot-8, 365-pounder started every game for the Crimson Tide in his rookie year and received Freshman All-American & first-team Freshman All-SEC honors.
Proctor, out of Des Moines, Iowa, announced his transfer 10 days after Alabama head coach Nick Saban said he was retiring. Alabama players received a special 30-day window to enter the transfer portal because of their head coach’s departure. Kalen DeBoer, who led the Washington Huskies to the national title game this past season, is replacing Saban at Bama.
“This is home. I love home. This is ultimately where I wanted to be,” Proctor told reporters at the Iowa men’s basketball game against Purdue on Jan. 20, according to Tyler Tachman of the Des Moines Register. “This is the first place I thought of when I entered the transfer portal.”
Once Proctor hinted at returning home, the Iowa Swarm Collective raised more than $100,000 in two days through a social media campaign. On Wednesday morning, Iowa Swarm CEO Brad Heinrichs joined KXnO, a Des Moines’ sports radio station. He said the money Proctor got was from Swarm Inc. (corporate side) and nothing was from fans. The Swarm Inc. is run like a business rather than a charity. Corporations can hire and pay a lump sum of money to Iowa athletes for advertising and marketing their products in several ways, including on social media platforms and in commercials.
“Kadyn Proctor hasn’t gotten a dime from the Swam Collective,” Heinrichs told KXnO. “People that have donated, he hasn’t taken their money.”
Heinrichs tweeted about the situation as well, saying Proctor “received no money in return for coming to Iowa.”
He received no money in return for coming to Iowa. Our student-athletes only get paid when they do charity work while here or for marketing for sponsoring businesses.
— Bradley Heinrichs (@HeinrichsBrad) March 20, 2024
While speaking with reporters on Jan. 20, Proctor referenced a text Iowa Director of Recruiting Tyler Barnes sent to him when the offensive tackle was struggling early in his career with the Crimson Tide. The text said something along the lines of “Hang in there, buddy.” This led Iowa to self-report a Level III tampering violation.
This is the second time Proctor has committed to Iowa and then changed his mind.
The five-star recruit originally committed to the Hawkeyes in June 2022 but flipped his decision to the Crimson Tide in December of that year – a day before he was scheduled to sign his letter of intent to Iowa.
Proctor is expected to re-enter the transfer portal. As a non-graduate, he cannot enter the transfer portal until April 15. Proctor went on spring break last week with several former Alabama teammates and intends to return to Tuscaloosa, he told On3Sports. He will be eligible to play this fall.
Proctor has deleted any Iowa mentions and pictures from his Instagram. Current Hawkeye defensive back and Proctor’s high school teammate Xavier Nwankpa acknowledged the news of his long time friend leaving Iowa on Tuesday night, tweeting “damn” on X.