‘It’s best for both parties to go separate ways’: Kirk Ferentz at peace with Kadyn Proctor saga
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The Hawkeyes kick off spring practice thinking they would be with their shiny portal addition — Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.
“I think as most of you know we had a player join us back in January that had a change of heart,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said.
The story was a heart-warming one — he started his high school career in the Des Moines area, winning a championship at Southeast Polk as the surefire best offensive tackle prospect in the country. He initially committed to Iowa, but eventually signed with Alabama. After starting every game at left tackle, he decided to come back to the place he originally committed to. Until he changed his mind.
“I think the bottom line there is that you don’t want a player in the program that doesn’t want to be here,” Ferentz added. “That’s always kind of been our feeling, and in my mind at least it’s best for both parties to go separate ways at that point.”
Proctor never practiced once with the Hawkeyes, and that is all good with Coach Ferentz. He would just like more structure to when players can or can’t leave
“It’s probably a reflection of the system, frankly, and where we’re at right now,” Ferentz said. “As you know, a couple lawsuits have come into play when it comes to the transfer portal and also NIL, so probably the biggest concern of this whole thing is just learning boundaries. There’s no structure, no framework, and that part makes it interesting in the fact that I don’t know if it is sustainable.”
While the Hawkeyes won’t get the best tackle prospect the state’s ever had, it could be worse.
“If there’s a silver lining here, too, we didn’t spend any practice reps with someone who had no intention of being here, and that’s a positive as well.”
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