Kalen DeBoer details screen pass play call to Kadyn Proctor
By David Wasson
Published:
No. 17 Alabama earned another victory over No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night, winning 24-21 to drop Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart’s career record against the Crimson Tide to 1-7. And one of the more unique plays Alabama broke out came late in the 2nd quarter.
Having driven to the Georgia 13-yard line, DeBoer called for offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor to split out wide to the left with receiver Germie Bernard and running back Jam Miller. Quarterback Ty Simpson then hit Proctor with a quick screen pass, and the 6-foot-7, 366-pounder started rumbling toward the goal line as the game’s largest pass catcher.
“That went in during fall camp. It was going really well, and then we had one that didn’t go well, and so, it got shelved for a little bit but brought it back out,” Kalen DeBoer said of the Proctor screen pass in his postgame press conference. “He made a catch earlier in the week that gave us a lot of confidence. The middle of practice, sweaty hands, not a great throw, pulled it right off the ground. Pretty impressive seeing a big guy like that do what he did, and he’s been pretty consistent on it.”
DeBoer went on to praise Proctor, who was finally knocked out of bounds at the 2 but set up Simpson’s touchdown plunge for a 24-14 lead, for his exemplary pay in 2025. Proctor is widely projected to be a 1st-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and has been a mainstay for the Crimson Tide at left tackle all season.
“He’s done his part, and our guys are excited for him,” DeBoer said. “Who wants to tackle that guy, right? Who wants to tackle him? He’s such a great athlete, and he’s worked hard to continue to even improve that in other ways.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
