Five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor released his official visit schedule in late May with trips to Arkansas State, Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and Penn State.
It was a curious group - especially with Iowa not on it - but the Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk standout planned to move forward with those trips.
That was until Friday night when Proctor, some would say, came to his senses.
The five-star will now only focus on Alabama and Iowa in his recruitment. He’s been to both numerous times, both programs develop offensive tackles at an impressive clip and after fiddling with some other programs, Proctor is down to two serious finalists.
For Alabama, Proctor has taken trips there, he’s loved it and when the Crimson Tide coaching staff makes you a massive priority, really do they get left at the altar.
For Iowa, his former Southeast Polk teammate, five-star safety Xavier Nwankpa, committed to the Hawkeyes last recruiting cycle, Iowa has recruited Proctor for years and it’s the in-state program that routinely develops players along the offensive line.
In today’s Making the Case, experts from around the Rivals network make an argument for a particular school and then National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney issues his verdict as to where he sees Proctor ending up.
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ALABAMA
“Proctor is coming off his official visit on a very emotional high right after his phenomenal visit with the Crimson Tide. The toughest obstacle has always been the home-state school but Alabama has always believed it was always in the race. Alabama’s development at offensive tackle, need for players at his position and championship culture are some of the major reasons why it’s in the final two. The Iowa visit looms. First-year offensive line coach Eric Wolford hopes to make a massive impression on Nick Saban. It doesn’t get much bigger than Proctor. Alabama has a very strong chance when it comes to signing the five-star lineman.” - Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
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IOWA
“There’s a strong pull to staying close to home and very good friends with Xavier Nwankpa who has been on the Iowa campus since January and is working him pretty hard. The tradition of Iowa putting guys in the league that play offensive tackle is also standing out and Tristan Wirfs is one of the guys he looks up to. That’s a huge selling point for him against the backdrop of competing against Alabama for his commitment.” - Tom Kakert, HawkeyeReport.com
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THE VERDICT
"Picking against Alabama is foolish sometimes but there are too many built-in advantages here so I’m going with Iowa for Proctor. He’s an in-state prospect who is comfortable in Iowa City. He plays a position that is developed at Iowa as well as anywhere in the country and the comparison to Wirfs’ success with the Hawkeyes is an interesting one.
"I actually like that Proctor has settled in with a top two of Alabama and Iowa because it shows a level of seriousness to his recruitment that quite frankly was lacking when he named his official visits and we all knew he had zero chance of going to some of those schools. The five-star is focused on the two real competitors and while this could still absolutely go either way I think the pull of staying close to home, playing with Nwankpa, getting developed by some outstanding coaches and so much more has Iowa with a slight edge." - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
