Everything Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor said at 2025 SEC media days
Entering his third season as a starter at left tackle this fall, Proctor is one of the more important players yet again on Alabama's offensive front, and will be key with the Crimson Tide having a new starting quarterback in 2025.
Here is a look at everything Proctor said during his 2025 SEC media days availability, ranging from the offensive line to new players and more.
Kadyn Proctor on Alabama's quarterback battle, freshman Keelon Russell
"Starting off with Ty, he's been there for four years now. He knows what to do. He's doing his to his best abilities to succeed. And just having that experience, I know he hasn't been a starting quarterback, but he knows what he's doing."
"Austin Mack has been at that same level, too. Knows what he's doing. Tall guy, lengthy. Something I want to point out is they all can run, they can scoot. The arm talent is crazy from all three of them."
"And I'm just proud of Keelon for coming in as a freshmen. It's hard, especially being at SEC at quarterback, but they're all three doing their job. I'm proud of all of them."
Kadyn Proctor on message to Alabama's freshman offensive line class
"So my first message to them is that I've been through some hard things and I never want them to go through what I had to go through my freshmen year after giving up however many sacks I did."
"I just want to show them I love and care for them. If we want to come talk to me, watch film, they can call me up. I just want to be that role model for them. So, yeah."
Kadyn Proctor on Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams
"Behind the scenes he is a funny guy. If ya'll ever get to talk to him, he's a funny, goofy guy. You've seen of TikTok dances. He's not afraid of who he is, and I love that for him. He's had great success his first, and I know year two will be even better for him."
Kadyn Proctor on new teammate Kam Dewberry
"What he brings to the group is intensity. He's had those years where he started. He's been playing since early freshman year, so I has been through those tough environments. He knows what's going on."
"He's older than me so he has a little bit more experience than me, so some things that I don't know he can teach me and I love that we have those elder guys. Always have a mix of young guys that he can teach too and I can teach, and we feed off each other for sure from the past experiences we've had."
Kadyn Proctor on Alabama's offensive line
"I would say every single offensive lineman just going from whatever top 6 to all 20 of them, even the walk-ons, we're working our tail off in the weight room, meeting room. Like there is -- especially just want to highlight the freshmen that came in. All of them came in ready to go, ready to work."
"I would say even better than me when I came in as a freshmen. They just have that level of intensity to them and I know they want to work. But the top six, whoever those five are that are come August 30th I'm going to be proud of each one of them."
"I know that the coaches are going to make the best decision moving forward."
Kadyn Proctor on Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos' comments
"We really don't really focus on that too much. I mean, it's all going to come down to the preparation. We're going to see on August 30th who the winner is."
"That's not the focus right now. We haven't made it to fall camp yet. Still have a couple weeks of summer work outside left."
"So that's been the intent and focus now from our group. We're not really giving into whatever anybody else is saying. It's all internal. Keeping it in house."
Kadyn Proctor on 2024 win vs. Georgia
"I feel like everybody did their job to the best of their ability and ultimately came out with a dub. And not just the Georgia game. We have had the games -- the SEC is tough. That's how those games go. Keeping a team down like that, I know we got up 28-0, but it's hard keep a team down like that."
"It's a great team and it's always exciting when we play them."
Kadyn Proctor on differences in Kalen DeBoer entering year two
"I would just say that he's more comfortable. It's hard coming into SEC as a first year head coach. I mean, that's stressful for sure."
"I don't want anybody to hate on my coach or anything like that so I'm doing everything to my best ability to provide for him to have the best success."
"So I would say the comfortability. We're relationship base and that's just what it's been throughout this past year."
Kadyn Proctor on 'welcome to the SEC' moment
"I would say just freshmen year. We obviously seen the stats that I gave up and how many sacks. That kind of speaks for itself right there, how hard it was. But one specific play was Middle Tennessee first ever game. I'm taking outside zone track to the right, and before I had got my right foot in the ground, I had a linebacker run through my chest."
"He wasn't worrying about the play. He was just trying to run through me. Yep, that's welcome to college football right there. From that day on, I think about it -- just got to laugh it off honestly."
Kadyn Proctor on Geno VanDeMark, Qua Russaw
"For Geno, he's had a lot of experience. He's in his last year of eligibility. He's played a long time of football. He knows what he's doing. He's a smart guy. Ever since going to Alabama, he's gotten stronger, faster."
"He's just had that focus and intent knowing he's an older guy that knows this is his last year. He's got a sense of urgency honestly to be the best that he can."
"And Qua, I remember a play yesterday where he shot off the ball on me outside of the tight end. It's just hard getting to that guy. That's just how he is. He's a fast, strong, powerful guy. You never know what he's going to do."
"Great hands, great feet. Powerful guy. He's a strong dude. That's what I want to highlight about him. He's about business also. So they're both about business."
Kadyn Proctor on best college athlete ever seen
"I would say Caitlin Clark for sure. There is talks about who is the best athlete to come out of Iowa. I don't want anybody to say my name. I want them to say Caitlin Clark. The things I've seen her do is crazy."
"That's probably -- I want to say that's the best basketball player I've seen honestly."
Kadyn Proctor on freshman year struggles
"I feel like I got flustered a lot. It's hard thinking. I play slower when you think. You get to the ball and you're not really sure about what you're doing. That was the biggest part. Not the weight or anything like that, because I played last season ten pounds heavier than my freshmen season and I had better stats than my freshmen year."
"So I feel like it's just thinking. It's hard mentally. It's a mental challenge, especially playing in tough environments."
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
The absurdity of absolute power. Big Ten, SEC fight to shape College Football Playoff
LAS VEGAS — The Big Ten and SEC control the future of the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten and the SEC can't agree on anything. Which tracks about just how you think it would in Sin City, driving directly into the theater of the absurd. 'I'm not going to put any deadline on it,' Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said Tuesday of negotiations for the new CFP format, while opening Big Ten Media Days at Mandalay Bay Resort. I know this is going to shock you, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made it clear last week during SEC Media Days that, 'We have a deadline of Dec. 1.' Just when you thought the great College Football Playoff format debate couldn't devolve to more ridiculous levels, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti entered the chat and changed everything. Forget about the Big Ten and its desired 16-team format that focuses on automatic qualifiers (four each for the Big Ten and SEC) and the need for CFP play-in games during championship week. Forget about the SEC and its desire for 11 at-large selections of the 16, based heavily on strength of schedule. Cignetti wants everyone to know that the CFP selection committee has too much power in the process. The very committee that last year selected his 11-win team – with one win against a team with a winning record – to the exclusive party. The same guy who, when asked Tuesday about Indiana dropping a non-conference game against big, bad Virginia for a Championship Subdivision directional school, responded with, 'We figured we'd just adopt the SEC scheduling philosophy.' I swear I'm not making this up. SCHEDULE DEBATE: Indiana coach fires hot at SEC after dropping Virginia POWER RANKINGS: Where the Big Ten teams stack from first to worst But at this point, nothing should be surprising in this ever-more-absurd cock walk. Each ego-driven, billion dollar conference trying to exert power over the other, in a blatantly awkward swinging dictator contest. The Big Ten doesn't want to be seen as the SEC's little brother. The SEC doesn't want to be pushed into a corner, and bend the knee to the conference it has dominated on the field for decades. Sankey touted the SEC's historical strength of schedule in defense of 11 at-large selections. Winning 14 national titles since 2000 doesn't hurt, either. Petitti responded by declaring the Big Ten played in eight of the 11 CFP games in 2024, had the four most viewed television games on the season and seven of the top 10. Then he dropped the ultimate "scoreboard" hammer: 'We just stand by what we do in the Big Ten. I think the national results have shown the last couple of seasons.' Translation: the Big Ten has won the last two national titles. The SEC has done … what exactly? There's nothing logical about this public spat, nothing tangible that can be easily negotiated with clear minds or paid off with more money — which a 16-team CFP most certainly brings. This is about superiority and inferiority, and where the SEC and Big Ten fit. No matter the collateral damage. Imagine you're Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. A distinguished 38-year career in the Air Force, retired as a Lieutenant General — the second-highest general officer rank. You're minding your own business at Big Ten media days, sitting quietly in the back of the large ballroom when some schlub who just picked up his first power conference coaching job starts throwing darts at your committee. A committee the SEC and Big Ten played a critical role in creating and developing, and growing into the singular, insular monster it has become. So I asked this titan of service to his country, and frankly, to the Big Ten and SEC and every other college football conference, what it was like to watch Cignetti kneecap his committee. Was it difficult to watch? 'Yeah,' Clark said, smiling wide — and then he stopped himself. Because like all military personnel, he knows there's oder and there's consequences for going outside it. 'The committee selected Indiana,' Clark continued, 'And I think it was the right decision, too.' Would you look at that, a lesson in swallowing ego and pride for the greater good. No swinging dictators necessary. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Countdown to Kickoff: James Burnip is the Saints Player of Day 46
Burnip will provide training camp competition for punter Matthew Hayball There are 46 days that remain until the New Orleans Saints open their 2025 regular season. They'll do so at home against the Arizona Cardinals under Kellen Moore as their new head coach. At this time, No. 46 is being worn by punter James Burnip. An undrafted rookie, Burnip is trying to overthrow incumbent Matthew Hayball for the punting job. Here's a look at Burnip's path to the NFL as our Saints Player of the Day. An Australian rules football player at Victoria University, Burnip was recruited by SEC schools Mississippi and Alabama before deciding on the Crimson Tide. He won the punting job at Alabama as a freshman in 2021. Burnip consistently showed great range throughout his career with the Crimson Tide, averaging 43.9 yards per punt over his four years. The 2023 season was Burnip's best. He led the SEC with 2,806 yards, averaging a whopping 47.6 per kick to finish third in the conference and resulting in 2nd Team All-SEC recognition. Leading up to the 2025 NFL draft, Burnip was considered one of the top punting prospects. Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw was the only punter drafted, going in Round 6 by the Denver Broncos. This led to New Orleans signing James Burnip to an undrafted deal. Burnip was also a second-round selection by the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League global draft. New Orleans has had three different punters in the last three seasons. The last two, Hayball and Lou Hedley, were also former Australian rules football players. James Burnip will now have his opportunity to face off against Matthew Hayball to provide competition for the Saints punting job in 2025.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
SEC hot seat rankings zero in on five college football coaches facing heat
No SEC football coaches were fired last year. What's the encore to that? Buckle up for a particularly spicy hot seat, with coaches like Oklahoma's Brent Venables and Auburn's Hugh Freeze facing heat. No SEC football coaches were fired a year ago. What's the encore to that? Buckle up for a particularly spicy hot seat this season. Proud programs like Oklahoma, Auburn and Florida starve for success at a level their current coaches haven't supplied. The hot seat doesn't end there, either. On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams identify their top five SEC coaches on the hot seat. Their lists each feature the same quintet of coaches, although they disagree on the ordering. At the top of the list, they agree on the coach sitting on the hottest seat in the SEC. He's a coach who won nine games in 2021, but he's been unable to match that previous bar of success. SEC football coaches' hot seat ranking Mark Stoops (Kentucky) Toppmeyer's ranking: No. 5 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Adams' ranking: No. 2 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Why he's on the list: Stoops enters Year 13 at Kentucky. He's the longest-tenured coach in the conference. He once seemed unfirable, but he's coming off a 4-8 season that ranked as his worst in more than a decade, and the 2025 outlook doesn't look much better. Momentum hasn't stalled. It's reversed. The combination of SEC expansion, elimination of divisions, and big spending by conference peers didn't do Stoops any favors, either. Perhaps, a new coach would galvanize fundraising for Kentucky football. Stoops' best protection is a buyout that currently checks in at about $40 million. COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Big Ten's plan to rig playoff runs into SEC road block WHICH BRIAN KELLY?: Dabo Swinney hilariously thought LSU's Brian Kelly sang country music Billy Napier (Florida) Toppmeyer's ranking: No. 4 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Adams' ranking: No. 3 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Why he's on the list: Don't expect Napier to be Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer. But, is it too much to expect a Dan Mullen-level season or two? Mullen twice won at least 10 games at Florida. Napier's eight wins last season are his high. The good news for Napier: The Gators finished 2024 playing as well as they ever have for him, and athletic director Scott Stricklin continued his steadfast support for Napier. The bad news: Napier's 19-19 record at Florida gives him the fewest victories for any Gators coach after three seasons since Charley Pell, whose ill-fated tenure began in 1979. Florida faces one of the nation's toughest schedules, and Napier's buyout will shrink to about $20 million by the end of the season. Brent Venables (Oklahoma) Toppmeyer's ranking: No. 3 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Adams' ranking: No. 4 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Why he's on the list: Oklahoma awarded Venables a raise and a lengthier contract after 10 wins in 2023. Now, Sooners fans must be wondering: Why? Venables' other two seasons coaching this blue blood resulted in losing records. Meanwhile, rival Texas experienced little trouble transitioning to the SEC. That adds up to a pivotal Year 4 for Venables, who soon will be working for a new athletic director. Joe Castiglione, who hired Venables, is retiring. Oklahoma, like Florida, must endure a brutal schedule. Venables scrambled staff duties after last season's flop. He took over defensive play-calling. He hired Ben Arbuckle from Washington State as his offensive coordinator, and he tapped hired former Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy as Oklahoma's general manager. Consider the Sooners all-in on this improve-or-be-fired season for Venables. Hugh Freeze (Auburn) Toppmeyer's ranking: No. 2 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Adams' ranking: No. 5 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Why he's on the list: Here's a trivia question: Name an Auburn coach who endured three consecutive losing seasons and got invited back for Year 4. It's a trick question. The answer doesn't exist. Freeze has produced two losing seasons in a row. He cannot endure a third. Freeze's current buyout of about $17 million is skimpier than some others on this list. Auburn paid more to fire Gus Malzahn, who never had a losing season. Last fall, Freeze could point to recruiting gains as a reason to remain optimistic, even as Auburn repeatedly blew opportunities in winnable games, and losses mounted. Recruiting has stalled, though. In Year 3, Freeze cannot expect an Auburn fan base starved for success to remain patient. It's time to win. Sam Pittman (Arkansas) Toppmeyer's ranking: No. 1 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Adams' ranking: No. 1 on hot-seat list of SEC coaches Why he's on the list: Ah, remember the good ol' days, when Pittman delivered a takedown of Texas in 2021 en route to a 9-4 record? Pittman has been an effective bridge away from the miserable Chad Morris era, but it's approaching time for this bridge to connect to whatever comes after Pittman. Arkansas' 7-6 record last season marked a rebound and included an upset of Tennessee, but neither the performance nor the program's recruiting inspires belief that a return to Pittman's pinnacle awaits. Player retention remains an issue, too. Pittman recently told On3 he wants to coach three more seasons, but he's protected by the smallest buyout of any coach on this list. Arkansas will face Arkansas State, Mississippi, Memphis and Notre Dame in the season's first month. That four-game stretch can either solidify Pittman's footing, or leave him packing his bags for his retirement home on Lake Hamilton. Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered Apple Spotify iHeart Google Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
