Iowa
Alabama's Kadyn Proctor enters transfer portal
Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor has entered the transfer portal, according to a post on his Instagram account. Proctor, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, started every game at left tackle for the Crimson Tide in 2023, earning All-SEC freshman honors. Proctor is the second highly regarded rising sophomore to enter the transfer portal this week after safety Caleb Downs entered the transfer portal on Wednesday morning, as part of continued fallout from Nick Saban’s retirement.
Proctor’s freshman year at Alabama was characterized by highs and lows, from early-season struggles and a competition with redshirt freshman Elijah Pritchett to keep his starting job, to fortifying his place on the left side and helping Alabama win an SEC championship and reach the College Football Playoff. All expectations were for Proctor to be a staple of Alabama’s 2024 offense.
“Day-in and day-out during practice, some plays, he’s gotten a lot more consistent,” teammate Tyler Booker said of Proctor before Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. “I’m very proud of him for that. See how he progresses his career. The sky’s the limit for him. He has all the physical intangibles. Great guy. Really smart. It just takes time. Some things take time.”
Iowa is the team to watch for Proctor. A Des Moines native, Proctor was the highest-ranked recruit from Iowa in the modern recruiting era (and the No. 5 overall player nationally in 2023). He initially committed to Iowa over Alabama during the summer of 2023, but Alabama pulled off a late flip of Proctor just before early signing day in December 2022.
There’s a significant need for Proctor on Iowa’s offensive line, a key unit for a Hawkeyes offense that has drawn headlines for its ineptitude over the last few seasons. Under a new offensive coordinator (no replacement for the outgoing Brian Ferentz has been named), Proctor would be an instant plug-and-play piece for an Iowa team with high expectations after retaining several marquee players from the 2023 team including cornerback Jermari Harris, linebacker Jay Higgins and tight end Luke Lachey.
Proctor’s chances of an Iowa homecoming
Could the prodigal son return to Iowa? It’s hardly a far-fetched wish.
As an all-state lineman at Southeast Polk High School in the Des Moines metro area, Proctor made more than a dozen visits to Iowa City and committed to the Hawkeyes on June 30, 2022. By late fall, Proctor took visits to Oregon and Alabama but remained committed until the Sunday before signing day when he flipped to Alabama.
Proctor has a tight bond with several Iowa players, including former high school teammate and fellow five-star recruit Xavier Nwankpa, who started 12 games as a sophomore. Although the Hawkeyes’ brass was bitterly disappointed to lose Proctor, they left the door cracked open in case the big tackle changed his mind.
“We have the 24-hour rule after losses and losing recruits, and yeah, it stinks,” recruiting director Tyler Barnes said after signing day. “It stinks. But at the end of the day, it’s got to be his choice and what’s best for him and his family, and we wish him well. I shot Kadyn and his parents the same text, just hey, best of luck down there, we got you; ignore all the noise on social media.
“You guys have to do what’s best for you, and honestly, in this day and age in the transfer portal, who knows what’s future holds.” — Scott Dochterman, Iowa beat writer
What it means for Alabama
Proctor’s departure is a massive blow to Alabama’s roster, which at this point doesn’t have an offensive tackle that has started a college game. The Crimson Tide have several former blue-chip prospects, but the overwhelming majority of the offensive line is made up of true or redshirt freshmen. During the early signing period, Saban acknowledged Alabama’s need for more experience on the offensive line and said that the team was in the market for players. The Crimson Tide earned the commitment of Texas A&M tackle Naquil Betrand, but he is a redshirt freshman without playing experience.
The silver lining is that Alabama becomes a premier destination for offensive tackles who are already in the transfer portal or may enter following spring practice (the spring transfer window opens on April 15). The Crimson Tide have notoriously been strong participants in the post-spring practice window of portal activity and will have a much better sense of what they have on their roster after giving young players an opportunity during the spring. However, the most immediate focus for new coach Kalen DeBoer is on roster retention, with 23 days remaining in the 30-day transfer window opened after a coaching change. As it stands right now, Alabama has lost eight players to the transfer portal since Saban retired:
Required reading
(Photo: Kirby Lee/ USA Today)
Iowa
Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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Iowa
Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit
The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Iowa
GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.
One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.
“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”
Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.
“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”
Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.
Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.
“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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