Kadyn Proctor’s boomerang-like career seems to have finally found its home in Alabama. Call it the shock of Nick Saban leaving Alabama or the increased fan following getting to his head, Proctor impulsively (well, we can call it now) switched to Iowa. Then he used to joke about his switch with former teammate Wilkin Formby that he would eventually come back to Alabama, and it did not take much time to turn to reality. “I definitely regret it. It’s probably one of the worst decisions that I’ve made in my life,” Proctor said. But what made him rethink his rushed decision and come back? The cultural feeling of being a team player that Kalen DeBoer continued to offer after Saban’s departure.

“Looking back, I had so many people that cared for me here and were trying to tell me that this was the best place for me, and I really wasn’t thinking it through,” Proctor said, recalling how everyone, his teammates, Coach DeBoer, and even his parents tried to convince him to stay in Tuscaloosa. It took him some time to understand, but Proctor got there, shifting back to Alabama. Now that his foot is settled, Coach DeBoer is planning on utilizing the highest-rated recruit in state history to the best.

Since he came back to Alabama in March, Proctor has been hitting the training grounds. Now that he is all set in the way DeBoer wants to, the head coach and team are positive about the star OL’s performance. “Kalen DeBoer said OT Kadyn Proctor is in fantastic shape and is very lean,” tweeted Alabama fan page ‘Sidelines’. Even Kalen DeBoer is impressed with his preseason observations of Proctor.

What more does Kalen DeBoer have to say about Kadyn Proctor’s progress at Alabama?

“Love his demeanor out there. It’s good to have him back. Good to have him here,” DeBoer said. While DeBoer mentioned that he does not have an idea of what he was like a year ago, the feedback he has been receiving is good. “When you ask people who would have an understanding, coach (David) Ballou and so forth, it’d be nothing but positive about the progress he’s made,” DeBoer said.

Speaking of how this ‘leaner’ Proctor has improved on training grounds, DeBoer said, “Strength and explosive numbers I know are up. That’s facts. That’s real.” The 6-7 OL was last reported to weigh around 360 pounds. Now that he has shed some, it will allow him the agility and slither, while not compromising on the much-important mass he brings in the O-line. A win-win for DeBoer and Co.