Greg McElroy reacts to Kadyn Proctor transferring to Iowa

Kadyn Proctor is homeward bound to play for Iowa after flipping his commitment from the Hawkeyes to Alabama when he came out of high school. It’s a transfer addition that is a significant one both for the player and the program in the opinion of Greg McElroy.

McElroy spoke about Proctor’s portal decision during ‘Always College Football’ on Monday. He started with as assessment of his lone season with the Crimson Tide and how he developed over the course of his freshman year in Tuscaloosa.

“(He) had a pretty solid season as a left tackle. Granted, there were a lot of ups and downs,” said McElroy. “He had a bunch of moments where he didn’t play so well and he had some other moments where he really looked comfortable. His best game ever was against Georgia in the SEC Championship.”

Proctor, a native of Des Moines, played high school football at Southeast Polk. He was a five-star prospect according to the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking. In that ranking, he was the No. 9 overall recruit, No. 1 OT, and No. 1 player out of Iowa.

Ahead of signing day, Proctor flipped his choice from the Hawkeyes to ‘Bama. However, after a year away from home, he entered the transfer portal following the retirement of Nick Saban.

Now, as he returns to his home state, McElroy thinks the pairing between Proctor’s skillset and Iowa’s approach better mesh with one another. He sees him, at 6’7 and 360-pounds, as a player whose size and ability might better fit in the Big Ten than in the SEC.

“I do think that this style is going to be beneficial for Kadyn Proctor,” said McElroy. “We don’t know what Iowa’s offense is going to look like right now. But I do think a ground & pound where he can use his size, use his physicality will be more more beneficial than being on an island like he was at times for the Crimson Tide.”

“The SEC? You’re going to have a lot of really twitchy pass rushers. That did not end well for Kadyn Proctor last year.”

McElroy also took a moment in his analysis to address the apparent in-season tampering that took place between Proctor and Iowa. In the end, he said it is what it is at this point. That’s especially the case considering the homecoming aspect that comes with this commitment.

“A lot of people are all bent out of shape about the tampering. Y’all – it’s about relationships. It’s all about relationships,” McElroy said. “Iowa stayed in touch with Kadyn Proctor, maybe he was a little homesick. He’s now going to go home.”

Proctor developed his clear potential as a full-time starter for Alabama this fall. That potential is now Iowa’s to continue molding into an offensive lineman that McElroy sees will be a significant contributor for the future.

“At Iowa, if he slides in to play guard perhaps? If he drops a little bit of weight? I think he can be a difference maker, an All-Big Ten potential type of player for the Hawkeyes,” said McElroy. “Him returning home was huge.

“That’s a big addition for Iowa and Kirk Ferentz,” McElroy said.