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
Naturalized citizens sue Iowa officials for challenging 2,000 voters
Naturalized citizens have sued Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and other election officials after he instructed them to challenge the ballots of over 2,000 voters.
Last week, Pate’s office said that it gave county auditors a list of 2,022 people who told the state’s Department of Transportation that they were not citizens but later registered to vote or voted.
Since those voters may have become naturalized citizens in the time between telling the Transportation Department that they were not citizens and participating in the U.S. election process, Pate’s office told county auditors to challenge their ballots and have them cast a provisional ballot instead.
The voters would have seven days to show proof of citizenship before their ballot is counted.
ACLU Challenges Election Officials
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa filed a lawsuit against Pate and five election auditors in federal court late Wednesday on behalf of four voters flagged by Pate as registered voters who might not be citizens and the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa (LULAC).
According to the complaint, the four voters are naturalized citizens, one of whom registered last year, a day after he became a citizen.
“Yet he was placed on the Secretary’s covert list and wrongfully subjected to investigation and an election challenge for following the law and exercising his right to vote,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit alleges that Iowa election officials are burdening the right to vote and discriminating against naturalized citizens. Officials are treating this group of voters differently from others in violation of their constitutional right to equal protection, the suit claims.
The suit asks for the Transportation Department list to be revoked and for voters on it to not be challenged on this basis.
Pate in a ‘Balancing’ Act
Pate told reporters Wednesday, before the lawsuit was filed, that the Transportation Department list is the “only list that we have available to us” without access to federal immigration records.
“We’re balancing this process. We want everyone to be able to vote. That’s why none of them have been taken off the voter rolls,” Pate said.
However, he added, “We do owe an obligation to make sure that they are citizens now.”
Republicans have made non-citizen voting a big issue ahead of the November 5 election. Despite it already being illegal for non-citizens to register to vote or to vote in federal elections, the Republican-led House voted to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in July, which would require those registering to vote to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill remains in the House.
While there is no evidence that non-citizen voting is occurring in significant numbers, Iowa and some other states have identified dozens of such cases.
‘We Will Defend Our Election Integrity’
Before the lawsuit was filed, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice “called the State in an attempt to pressure Iowa into letting noncitizens vote.”
“Every legal vote must count and not be canceled by an illegal vote,” she said. “In Iowa, we will defend our election integrity laws and protect the vote.”
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment to the Associated Press (AP).
The AP also reached out to Pate and Bird on Thursday for comment on the lawsuit.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
Iowa
Iowa men’s basketball: Four bold predictions for Hawkeyes’ 2024-25 season
Video: Fran McCaffery reacts to exhibition win over Minnesota Duluth
Fran McCaffery discusses a variety of topics after Iowa’s 102-81 exhibition win over Minnesota Duluth.
IOWA CITY — The Iowa men’s basketball regular season is on the verge of getting underway.
After beating Minnesota Duluth, 102-81, in an exhibition, the Hawkeyes’ next contest is more than just a dress rehearsal. That comes Monday with the regular season opener against Texas A&M-Commerce.
There are not exactly high expectations surrounding this Iowa team. The Hawkeyes were picked to finish 11th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten by a preseason media poll. Internally, though, there is optimism.
“People are confident,” Payton Sandfort said at Big Ten Media Days. “Anyone that has been around practice this year thinks this team is special. The energy is different. The intensity is different. The attention to detail is different. I think it’s going to be a great year.”
To skeptics, Sandfort’s claim could be viewed as a bold prediction.
In that spirit, here are some bold takes ahead of the Hawkeyes’ 2024-25 season.
Iowa basketball’s Josh Dix will make an All-Big Ten team
This wouldn’t be that bold of a prediction if the conference hadn’t just added four new programs. But now with 18 teams, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten first, second, or third teams (more than 15 players can make them in total) becomes even more difficult.
That said, Dix should be considered a dark horse.
The flashes that Dix showed as a freshman became even more prominent as a sophomore. Last season, there was a phenomenal three-game stretch during Big Ten play in which he averaged 21.3 points on 68.4% from the field and 61.5% from deep.
It’s unrealistic to expect Dix to sustain those numbers across an entire season, but it’s one of the many signs pointing to him being capable of becoming a premier player in the league. Dix, a highly efficient scorer on all three levels, also adds value on the defensive end. Now as a junior, Dix is stepping into an even larger role, meaning the opportunity is there for him to put up big numbers.
He scored 22 points against Minnesota Duluth on 9-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-4 from deep.
“I think the biggest thing he’s done, he’s gotten really aggressive,” Sandfort said of Dix after the contest. “He always had that. He was always showing it in practice but would be just kinda passive when we got into games… Now he has the confidence that he can dominate these teams. I’m excited to see the year he has.”
Video: Payton Sandfort leads Iowa with 23 points in exhibition win
Payton Sandfort discusses a variety of topics after Iowa’s exhibition win over Minnesota Duluth.
Hawkeyes’ Brock Harding will finish top-5 in the Big Ten in assists per game
Harding’s sensational passing ability, coupled with Iowa’s offensive firepower makes this seem like a real possibility.
His ability to share the rock was on display as a freshman. Harding’s 2.6 assists per game in limited playing time equates to 9.7 when extrapolated to a per 40-minute average.
It’s unreasonable to expect him to average 40 minutes per game as a sophomore, but he is primed to get substantially more playing time, meaning last season’s assist numbers are likely to go up. With Dix, Owen Freeman and Sandfort all having the potential to be high-volume scorers, Harding shouldn’t have a shortage of opportunities.
Even in a Minnesota Duluth exhibition that wasn’t his best performance — Harding scored two points on 1-of-7 from the field — he still recorded six assists.
Northwestern’s Boo Buie finished last season fifth in the Big Ten in assists per game with five. Getting in that neighborhood doesn’t seem like a long shot for Harding.
Pryce Sandfort will be Iowa men’s basketball’s top bench scorer
There are probably four realistic options to be Iowa’s leading bench scorer. It could be either of the transfers, Seydou Traore or Drew Thelwell. Freshman Cooper Koch deserves to be in the conversation, as well.
But Pryce Sandfort might be the one to earn that title.
After an inconsistent freshman season, word from inside the program has been pointedly positive about Pryce Sandfort. At Iowa men’s basketball media day, coach Fran McCaffery remarked that Pryce Sandfort was “shooting the ball at an incredibly high clip on a consistent basis.”
The exhibition against Minnesota Duluth showed how quickly Sandfort can score in bunches. He finished the first half without a point but scored 11 in the second half. He also played the most minutes out of Iowa’s reserves.
At 6-foot-7, Pryce Sandfort can be a lethal 3-point shooter, but his offensive repertoire isn’t limited to that. With Iowa needing some scoring outside of Payton Sandfort, Freeman and Dix, Pryce Sandfort has the skill set to deliver.
Iowa Hawkeyes will have its best 3-point percentage since the 2020-21 season
The Hawkeyes shot 38.6% as a team in 2020-21. Four players shot 39% or better from deep, including three that shot at least 44%.
Since then, Iowa’s team 3-point percentages are as follows:
- 2021-22: 36.3%
- 2022-23: 34%
- 2023-24: 35.1%
Iowa has a chance to shoot better in 2024-25 than it has in each of the last three seasons.
The Hawkeyes saw the departures of some lower percentage shooters, including Tony Perkins (29.9%) and Patrick McCaffery (31.2%).
Two of the players expected to be among the highest-volume shooters for Iowa this season are more than capable 3-point shooters in Dix and Payton Sandfort. Pryce Sandfort and Cooper Koch are known to be good shooters, as well.
There are a handful of other X-factors.
Harding shot 37.5% as a freshman even before adjusting his shooting form this offseason. Thelwell is a career 34.8% 3-point shooter. Freeman didn’t attempt many 3-pointers last season but has worked on expanding his game this offseason and could take more as a sophomore. Ladji Dembele and Traore can contribute from beyond the arc, though they haven’t proven to shoot a high percentage yet.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Iowa
Final two classes set for Iowa state volleyball championships
Two-time defending Class 1A champion Ankeny Christian secured another trip to state volleyball with a win Wednesday night as the final two classes in Iowa were filled.
The Eagles swept Southeast Warren to get to 37-5 overall. They have now gone 114-11 over the past three seasons.
The 3A, 4A and 5A fields were finalized on Tuesday night with regional finals around the state. Wednesday saw the 1A and 2A teams still standing square off with trips to Coralville on the line.
Action begins on Monday with all five championships scheduled for Thursday.
Dike-New Hartford will be back to defend its 2A title after taking care of Wapsie Valley in straight sets.
Class 2A
First Round
Tuesday, November 5
Denver vs. Boyden Hull, 2 p.m.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont vs. Iowa City Regina, 2:25 p.m.
Dike-New Hartford vs. Aplington-Parkersburg, 4 p.m.
Dyersville Beckman vs. South Hardin, 4:25 p.m.
Semifinals
Wednesday, November 6
Denver/Boyden-Hull winner vs. Dike-New Hartford/Aplington-Parkersburg winner, 4 p.m.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont/Iowa City Regina winner vs. Dyersville Beckman/South Hardin winner, 4:25 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, November 7
Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner, 4:45 p.m.
Class 1A
First Round
Tuesday, November 5
Ankeny Christian vs. Don Bosco, 6 p.m.
Saint Ansgar vs. Janesville, 6:25 p.m.
Riverside vs. North Tama, 8 p.m.
Holy Trinity vs. BCLUW, 8:25 p.m.
Semifinals
Wednesday, November 6
Ankeny Christian/Don Bosco winner vs. Riverside/North Tama winner, 6 p.m
Saint Ansgar/Janesville winner vs. Holy Trinity/BCLUW winner, 6:25 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, November 7
Semifinal winner vs.semifinal winner, 7 p.m.
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