Alabama's Kadyn Proctor Is Portal MVP - Skipped 2 Springs, But Caught Caitlin Craze

Timing is everything in most things from playing offensive tackle to travel itineraries.

And it helped with avoiding mundane and often meaningless spring practices for former Alabama, former Iowa and now current Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor.

Kadyn Proctor (6-foot-8, 365 pounds) signed with Alabama as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation in 2023 out of Des Moines, Iowa, and started all 14 games for the Tide last season, including the CFP semifinal vs. Michigan here. He transferred to Iowa in January, then back to Alabama. (Getty Images)

Proctor's in-or-out approach to the NCAA Transfer Portal just happened to allow him to miss all spring practices over the last several weeks at Iowa and at Alabama, where he officially returned on April 16 following a transfer to Iowa in January after playing his freshman season for the Crimson Tide in 2023.

Kadyn Proctor Enjoyed The Best Of Alabama And Iowa

He got the best of both worlds - 14 starts in 14 games at Alabama last season, including a trip to the College Football Playoff national semifinal against Michigan at the Rose Bowl, and two months from last January into March as a student at his home state Iowa, where he had committed in July of 2022. 

While at Iowa, he was seen attending classes and going to Iowa women's basketball games, where he watched point guard Caitlin Clark transform from superstar to iconic rock star and perhaps the best player in women's basketball history. And after deciding to pack up again in mid-to-late March, Proctor's now back at Alabama for a fresh start under new coach Kalen DeBoer and fresh off spring break - not spring drills - with his Alabama teammates just last month.

Funny, Alabama's and Iowa's spring break dates matched almost perfectly - from March 8-17 and March 10-17, respectively. 

Dumb luck? Or brilliant blocking scheme? Perhaps a little of both.

A native of Centerville, Iowa, Proctor later moved to the Des Moines area, where he became a star at Southeast Polk High School, which is 15 miles down I-235 from Dowling Catholic High, where Clark went to school. Proctor committed to Iowa in July of 2022 as the No. 1 prospect in the state like Clark before him, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country, and the No. 5 prospect overall by 247 Sports.

But on the eve of signing day that December, Proctor flipped to Alabama.  

Transfer Text? Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor checks his phone before warm-ups prior to Crimson Tide's Sept. 30 game at Mississippi State. (Getty Images)

He started slow for the Crimson Tide, giving up two sacks and five pressures in Alabama's home loss to Texas on Sept. 9. But he gradually improved by the latter part of his season commensurate to his recruiting rankings. His best game likely came in Alabama's 27-24 win over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game as he totaled four knockdown blocks to help put the Crimson Tide in the four-team College Football Playoff. 

The SEC coaches voted Proctor to the All-SEC Freshman Team after he was the SEC freshman of the week for his play in the win over Auburn. He played on a torn ligament in his ankle as Alabama lost to eventual national champion Michigan, 27-20, in overtime, on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl.

RELATED: Kadyn Proctor Part Of Nick Saban Retirement Fallout

Shortly after Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10 and DeBoer was introduced on Jan. 13, Proctor entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on January 18 and landed back home. 

Iowa was excited to have one of the best offensive linemen in the country. The offense needed something after finishing dead last in total yards a game last season among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools at 234.6 and 129th out of 130 in scoring with 15.4 a game. Clark averaged 15.8 a half, by the way.

Kadyn Proctor Left Iowa At The Altar Twice

But on the eve of spring practice, which started on March 20, and shortly after spring break ended on March 17, Proctor skipped town. What happens on spring break apparently did not stay on spring break.

"We had a player join us back in January who had a change of heart after spring break," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said after a few days of practices without Proctor.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz thought he had offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor of the Des Moines, Iowa, area twice, only to be left at the altar each time. (Getty Images)

Yes, Proctor had left Iowa at the altar in the 11th hour for a second time.

"I think the bottom line there is that you don't want a player in the program that doesn't want to be here," Ferentz said.

Which is basically what DeBoer said when Proctor left him in January.

"We want those guys that want to be here," DeBoer said. "A lot of these guys came here to leave a legacy and build on a legacy. There's unfinished business."

NCAA Transfer Portal Offers Such Possibilities

Yeah, but it's just that Proctor wanted to be at two places at about the same time, just maybe not during spring practice at either.

Ferentz opined that it may have all been a part of the Proctor Plan.

"We didn't spend any practice reps with someone who had no intention of being here," he said.

Not ever?

We may never know.

Proctor attended Alabama's spring game on April 13 and stood near the Alabama sideline. But, damn, he couldn't dress out because he couldn't officially transfer to Alabama until April 16 - the date that opened the current NCAA Transfer Portal window that runs through April 30. Sorry, just missed it.

But Proctor may be continuing to pocket Name, Image & Likeness money from both programs in the process. Hey, coaches have double-dipped, too, when they finish one job in the postseason while recruiting for the next one and drawing two paychecks.

Kadyn Proctor Left Iowa With A Parting Gift - An NCAA Violation

Proctor also left some baggage at Iowa that wasn't all his. The school self-reported a Level III (the least serious grade) rules violation in February concerning impermissible contact. Recruiting director Tyler Barnes texted, "Hang in there, buddy" to Proctor after his poor game against Texas. But that venial sin only surfaced after Proctor said in an interview that Barnes' support was one of the reasons he transferred to Iowa. That was then, though.

Some NIL money obviously flowed from Alabama to Iowa in the process.

Speaking of NIL, Proctor should work on a new NIL deal with TripAdvisor.com, perhaps. Or maybe Choice Hotels because, as Johnny Cash sang in the chain's commercials, "I've Been Everywhere," man.

Tuscaloosa … Tampa … Starkville … College Station … Lexington … Auburn … Atlanta … Pasadena … Iowa City … and back to Tuscaloosa.

New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer got a big fish he thought he lost back in the boat in offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. (Getty Images)

"The grass isn't always greener in other places," JC Latham, Alabama's starting right tackle last season who's expected to be picked in the NFL Draft's first round Thursday, said at Alabama's Pro Day last month. "So when things happen, and you think it might be better somewhere else, you get to find out the hard way that it's not."

Well, I don't know if anything about Proctor's itinerary since leaving Alabama has been "hard."

In fact, he probably has a spring in his step, so to speak.

Roger Clemens followed a similar spring strategy late in his career as he left retirement to join the Houston Astros well after spring training in June of 2006 and did the same thing with the Yankees in June of 2007. And Tom Brady is considering pushing off time to the limit by coming back just for the playoffs somewhere next season.

With the portal mentality, anything is possible.

"There's no structure, no framework," Ferentz said.

Just fun and wanderlust, Proctor might say.