Kadyn Proctor making 'a lot of progress' ahead of freshman season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama could have a freshman blocking the blindside of its quarterback this fall, as Kadyn Proctor has received plenty of work with the first-team offensive line.

There are still nine days before the Crimson Tide kicks off the 2023 football season, but Proctor, a former 5-star recruit, has consistently practiced at left tackle with Alabama’s first group.

The 6-foot-7, 355-pound freshman has made steady progress since enrolling in January.

“He’s shown me he’s big, and he’s made a lot of progress,” head coach Nick Saban said. “He’s improved a lot. He’s got a lot of ability. And there’s things that he needs to continue to work on. Obviously, experience is gonna help him, and when you get experience – experience is a culmination of how do you learn from your mistakes, and that’s what experience is. And he’s been pretty good about that.

“I think (Tyler) Booker playing next to him at left guard has helped him a lot because it puts a veteran player next to him who gives him a little bit of security in making calls and that type of thing. So that’s been a good thing for us.”

One of the top position battles entering fall camp was at left tackle, with Proctor competing with Elijah Pritchett, who spent the spring with the first-team offensive line. We saw Pritchett sustain a minor injury in the open practice, which led to an increase in reps with the ones for Proctor, and since then, the freshman started both closed scrimmages with the first unit.

Things can always change, but Alabama’s decision to move Booker to left guard after he spent most of the spring and summer lined up at right guard to the left of JC Latham illustrates the UA coaches believe Proctor could make an impact – but could use a veteran teammate.

He is still a freshman, but Proctor has seemingly gotten more comfortable this preseason.

“Kadyn Proctor, that’s my guy,” edge rusher Dallas Turner said. “We go at it every day in practice. He gets me better, I get him better every day in practice. But I can see the very fast progression that he’s having, coming in. Seeing him day by day and just seeing him slowly getting better, you can tell he’s gonna be one of those ones, for sure.

“When his time comes, you can tell you tell, definitely, he’s gonna be one of those ones.”

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Proctor was the top offensive tackle and a top-10 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to On3’s Industry Rankings, and could be the latest true freshman to contribute on the Alabama offensive line. As a player that faces him every day on the practice field, the Tide’s top pass rusher has been impressed by Proctor’s technique.

“One thing I will say about Kadyn is that your first move is not always gonna beat him because he’s such a raw talent and the potential is unmatched,” Turner said. “He knows how to recover very well. If you beat him on the first move or something like that, the recovery is right there, like he’s back at you like you didn’t even move.

“He’s very eye-opening, especially coming in as a young guy, especially being on the O-line with the ones as a freshman, too. That’s impressive.”

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