Kadyn Proctor says playing for Nick Saban was ‘stressful’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Before Kadyn Proctor played for Kalen DeBoer in his final two seasons at Alabama, he was a Day 1 starter at left tackle as a true freshman under Nick Saban in 2023. The Des Moines native, who flipped his commitment from Iowa to sign with the Crimson Tide, was ultimately named to the SEC‘s all-freshman team.
Proctor, who briefly transferred to Iowa a few months after Saban’s retirement in 2024, eventually decided to return to Tuscaloosa. Now, he’s a top NFL Draft prospect hoping to make a strong impression at the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Though he played for Saban for just one year, Proctor opened up about what his experience was like.
“It’s such a blessed opportunity to go down there and [play for] the best head coach we’ve seen in college football,” Proctor said on Sirius XM NFL Radio, per AL.com’s Mike Rodak. “It was most definitely stressful. Everybody was tight all the time, but that taught me how to work. It taught me how to grind. That’s all it was — it was strictly business.”
Ask anyone who played for Saban, and they’d tell you the same thing. But his approach brought results. That’s certainly been the case for Proctor, who’s sure to hear his name called early in April.
Just how early is the question. According to Kalshi, Proctor has a 1% chance of being a Top 10 selection.
The NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 at Accrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the NFL Scouting Combine runs through Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
