The left tackle position at the University of Alabama has a proud history, and now is the time for Kadyn Proctor to cement his legacy by reaching his full potential. He came to Alabama with some of the highest expectations of all time, but it feels like he hasn't quite reached that level. It doesn't seem like he has that certain mean streak that makes an offensive tackle legendary. He had quite the learning curve as a freshman, moving from high school football in Iowa to starting in the SEC. There were many bumps along the road, but by the end of his freshman year it seemed to really have started to click for him.
This is why I was so shocked when he briefly left for Iowa because he had come so far from the start to the end of the 2023 season. Kadyn returned to Tuscaloosa, he got himself back into shape and regained his teammates' trust fully, but there was a feeling that something was still missing from his game. He was good and showed moments of greatness, but it feels like his full potential hasn't been tapped. Some of that seems to be his own mental makeup, and some of it seems to be the coaching. Sometimes greatness can't be achieved if the right buttons aren't being pushed by the coaching staff, and I would assume a second year in Coach DeBoer's offense with a true offensive coordinator should help Proctor's path as he pushes to move from good to great.
The frustration of last year's offense was the lack of a consistent running game besides Jalen Milroe, which really hurt the progression of the offense throughout the season. There wasn't the nastiness needed to push around tackles and linebackers to open up holes for the backs to consistently be part of the offensive scheme. Fans were critical of the running backs not getting the needed number of touches, but a lot of that may have been from the lack of confidence that the coaches had in the offensive line, having what it needed for Alabama to have a consistent running game that the program is known for.
That has to change across the offensive line, and it starts with Kadyn Proctor taking it to the next level. Often, the rest of the offensive line takes on the personality of the best one along the line, and if he leads with a dog mentality, others will follow this. It is important that Proctor becomes that force we all know he can be, which will not only make running the ball so much easier, but any concerns in the passing game along the right side of the line will seem shored up much better than what they have been. We can debate all day about the importance of the QB play, but for me it starts with Kadyn and goes from there.