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Kadyn Proctor details return to Alabama, why he apologized to head coach Kalen DeBoer
By Sean Labar
Published:
The Alabama Crimson Tide are embarking on a new era under former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, who is replacing Nick Saban. The longtime Crimson Tide frontman shocked the college football world by stepping away as the team’s head coach on Jan. 10, just nine days after Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Even though DeBoer came to Tuscaloosa with an impressive resume, it was no surprise to see a mass roster exodus when Saban’s announcement became official.
Between the winter and spring portal windows, Alabama had 39 total scholarship and walk-on players transfer out of the program. The biggest names to immediately leave the program were Caleb Downs — who shined for the Tide as one of the nation’s top safeties as a true freshman. Downs is now a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are expected to have one of the top defenses in the country in 2024. Isaiah Bond had emerged as one of the team’s top wide receivers but committed to Texas on Jan. 14.
The other major name to immediately enter the portal when DeBoer took over was offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, who was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team by the conference coaches in 2023 and earned the starting job at left tackle during fall camp and maintained that role for all 13 games.
Proctor eventually transferred to Iowa, a program he was previously committed to in high school, before an about-face led to his return to Tuscaloosa. The key piece of the o-line met with the media on Wednesday and explained his initial decision, while giving insight into the conversation with DeBoer when he decided to come back to Alabama.
Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor spoke after practice today about his return to Alabama after briefly transferring to Iowa, and his first conversation with Kalen DeBoer after coming back.
“I kind of just started that conversation with an apology…” pic.twitter.com/jEiDA4Gi4g
— Matt Stahl (@mattstahl97) August 21, 2024
“Maybe a month and a half in I kind of just started feeling like it wasn’t the place for me, but it’s all in the past so it is what it is,” described Proctor.
“When I got back, I apologized because I knew when he first came here, his first week, those first couple days, I really wasn’t giving him a chance. I just kind of started that conversation with an apology because I really didn’t give him a chance. I had my mind set on leaving and not listening to what he really had to say to me.”
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Saban is viewed as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, ending his career with seven national championships while turning Alabama back into a national powerhouse that included six of those titles. He spent the last 17 seasons as the Crimson Tide head coach so it wasn’t a surprise to see so many players leave when he retired.
But now Proctor and others will be responsible for helping the Tide pick up where Saban left off and keeping Alabama in contention for championships under the reign of DeBoer.
Sean Labar is an SEC football contributor for Saturday Down South.
