Kadyn Proctor, ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 12 player in the country and best player in Iowa, initially planned to stay home and play for the Hawkeyes. He committed to Iowa in June. But in December, the five-star offensive tackle signed with Alabama, flipping his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Some speculated that his decision was about Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money, but he denied the rumors and said it was about football opportunities. In December, he told Hawk Central that people speculating about NIL did not know the situation.
“It’s not about the money because if people knew about the money situation, they wouldn’t be talking about it,” he said at the time. “But I wanted to go play football at a prestigious school. (There’s) a lot of competition down there and ultimately it’s going to make me better.”
He has since clarified, telling 247Sports this week that he’s actually getting less money with Alabama than he would have at Iowa.
Related: Buckeyes over Bucks: 5-star Brandon Inniss turned down NIL deals to play for Ohio State
“It wasn’t about the NIL money, because I’m not getting as much money as Iowa would’ve paid me,” he said.
Proctor’s mother told Hawk Central that dormitories, team doctors and facilities played a large role in his decision,
The lineman also said he thinks the competition at Alabama will make him a better player.
“I don’t want to come into this school and everybody thinks I’m one of the best players there already. I want to grow. That’s not how I grow. I’ve got to get hit in the mouth before I can grow,” he said.
Alabama, as usual, has a stellar recruiting class that looks to have players that can play key roles as it vies for championships in the coming years. The Crimson Tide has seven five-star players in the class of 2023 committed, by far the most in the nation, and has 21 four-star players. It is ranked the best class in the country.
In fact, Proctor is ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the third-best player in the class despite being the 12th-highest on this list.
So, he’s likely to get his wish of not being assumed as the best player on the field.
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