At 7 am on Wednesday, two and a half hours before his signing ceremony at Southeast Polk High School, Kadyn Proctor met with his mother and stepfather at his home in Altona to discreetly, but officially take the next step in your career in football.
The letter of intent for Alabama arrived by mail on Tuesday. Proctor signed them, took some photos and sent some text messages to the members of the coaching staff to know that their commitment was closed.
“So I won’t lie, I went back to bed,” Proctor said with a smile.
Proctor could finally give a sigh of relief. The star of high school football, one of the most coveted players in the country, was now part of the Crimson Tide program. The signature, the photos and the symbolic ceremony that took place late in the morning in front of friends, family and teammates in the Southeast Polk auditorium ended a busy recruitment of the offensive star.
“It’s been a little stressful,” said his mother, Sarah Proctor-Perkins, about the last days.
It has been a wild ride for the offensive attacker 6 feet and 7, 330 pounds, which has long been considered one of the best players in the state and in the country. He received offers from apparently bags of all big names, including Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon and Ole Miss.
Proctor, listed by 247sports as a five -star recruit and the best offensive tackle in the country, pledged to Iowa in June. He was seen as the day 1 holder and the biggest name in the 2023 recruitment class of the Hawkeyes.
This did not prevent teams from trying to change Proctor’s opinion. Deion Sanders, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, who recently assumed his position in Colorado, offered him a scholarship. Oregon was present to watch Proctor guide Southeast Polk to his second consecutive state football title in November. Alabama coach Nick Saban visited him in one of the first days he could see the recruits.
Proctor visited Alabama last weekend and was finally convinced to change his commitment and join Crimson Tide.
“When I went there and I could see everything that was prepared for me, I thought it was a better opportunity for me,” said Proctor.
Here is a look at some of the other great stories about Proctor’s change of opinion.
Did Nil play a role in Proctor’s decision to change his commitment? He says no
Proctor’s commitment to Alabama arose amid speculation of a profitable Nil (name-image-semage) agreement that the school made to court it. He said on Wednesday that this is not what convinced him to abandon his commitment to Alabama. He said it was about the resources that Alabama had and the opportunities that play for Crimson Tide offered.
“It’s not about money, because if people knew about the money situation, they wouldn’t be talking about it,” Proctor said. “But I wanted to play soccer at a prestigious school. (There is) a lot of competition down there and, in the end, this will become better.
Proctor admitted that there was money involved, but did not say how much Alabama was willing to shell out in dollars Nil to secure his services. Proctor’s mother insisted that things like dorms, team doctors, and facilities played a bigger role in her decision to change their commitment. She said her son was also influenced by the opportunity to play with athletes of her size from the beginning and help him reach the NFL.
Proctor said Iowa was willing to shell out.
“I’m not getting as much (more) and Iowa would give me,” he said. “People didn’t know that. But everyone has an opinion. ”
Proctor says he would be ‘accommodating’ getting in Iowa
Proctor said he informed Iowa’s coaching staff about his decision to give up last week and implied that he was thinking a little about it. He admitted that Iowa’s offensive struggles in the last two years have been part of his thought process, but have not played an important role. In fact, he liked the idea of entering and helping to change a program. But he realized that playing in Alabama could explore his potential more.
“I thought I was setting up in Iowa and when I went there (Alabama), I saw all the guys that are as big as I and have the same mindset that I worked and worked like me,” he said. “That’s exactly what I wanted to do. I don’t want to get in this school and everyone thinks I’m already one of the best players there. I want to grow. This is not how I grow. I have to punch my mouth before growing up. And I think taking a blow to the mouth is the competition (I need). “
During the weekend visit to Alabama, Proctor met Saban, left with some players and watched Crimson Tide training for Sugar Bowl match with Kansas State. When he returned to his hotel room on Saturday night, he told his mother that he wanted to play in Alabama.
“He wanted to go to Iowa and I thought, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure? ‘”Said Proctor-Perkins. “That’s kind of shocked me.”
The consequences of the exchange of late commitment of proctor generate social agitation and reaction
Proctor committed to Saban on Sunday. The news began to spread earlier in the week that Proctor was potentially moving to Alabama. The consequences brought much criticism when people went to social networks to criticize the decision. Proctor’s announcement on Twitter on Tuesday was received with a flood of negativity from people who questioned their loyalty and motives.
“It made me feel a little bad, but I can’t tune these things,” he said. “It’s amazing that 40, 50-year-old people are calling me profanity and saying ‘F-You’, I’m going to hell and things like that. It is crazy to hear. But not early on these things because if they were really Iowa fans, they wouldn’t be talking about it and would be happy that I go to Alabama and represent the state.