Kadyn Proctor, ranked in the 247Sports Composite as the No. 12 player in the country and the top player in Iowa, originally planned to stay home and play for the Hawkeyes. He committed to Iowa in June. But in December, the five-star offensive lineman signed with Alabama, flipping his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Some speculated that his decision was about the name, image and likeness (NIL) money, but he denied the rumors and said it was about football opportunities. In December, he said Hawke Central that people speculating on 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 that’s going to make me better.”
Since then, he clarified, told 247 Sports he’s actually getting less money with Alabama this week than he would have with Iowa.
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“It wasn’t about the ZERO money because I don’t get paid as much as Iowa would pay me,” he said.
Proctor’s mother said Hawke Central that sleeping quarters, team doctors and facilities played a big part in his decision,
The linebacker also said he thinks the competition at Alabama will make him a better player.
“I don’t want to go to this school and everyone thinks I’m one of the best players there. I want to develop. That’s not how I develop. I should be punched in the mouth before I grow up,” he said.
Alabama, as usual, has a stellar recruiting class that looks to have players who can play key roles as it contends for championships in the coming years. The Crimson Tide has seven five-star commits in the 2023 class, the most in the nation, and has 21 four-star players. It is ranked as the best class in the country.
In fact, Proctor is ranked in the 247Sports Composite as the third-best player in the class, despite being the 12th-highest on that list.
So he will likely get his wish of not being considered the best player on the field.
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