Iowa
Greg McElroy defends Iowa after Kadyn Proctor comments: ‘It’s all about relationships’
Former Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor raised some eyebrows following his transfer to Iowa when he commended the Iowa staff on keeping in touch with and encouraging him throughout his freshman year at Alabama.
Proctor, a Des Moines native, explained his decision: “It was so easy for me to pick them when I did enter the transfer portal. Because we still had those relationships. Even after I was doing bad in the SEC and struggling, they hit me up and said, ‘We’re proud of you. You’re gonna get through this.’ And that’s what ultimately helped me with my decision because they still believed in me.”
What sounded like clear-cut tampering to some throughout the college football world, however, sounds like something else entirely to former Alabama quarterback and current college football pundit Greg McElroy.
REQUIRED READING: Texans rookie Will Anderson Jr.: DeMeco Ryans ‘might be No. 1 over Coach Saban’
“A lot of people are all bent out of shape about the tampering,” McElroy said, per Athlon Sports. “Y’all — it’s about relationships. It’s all about relationships. Iowa stayed in touch with Kadyn Proctor, maybe he was a little homesick. He’s now going to go home.”
Tampering has been a talking point among coaches for as long as the transfer portal has been effective in college football. What Alabama fans are wondering is: When do relationships become transactional with regards to players like Proctor?
What is tampering?
In a Powerpoint posted by the NCAA entitled “Transfers, Tampering, and Trends,” the body lays out the distinction between impermissible contact and tampering.
All tampering is a case of impermissible contact — but not all impermissible contact rises to tampering. The slide reads:
“Pursuant to Bylaw 13.1.1.3, any communication with an enrolled student-athlete is impermissible. Although communication is impermissible, not every instance rises to the level of tampering.”
Some of the “factors to consider” according to the Powerpoint include:
- Results (did the student transfer)
- Pre-existing relationship (former coaches talking to students)
- Timing of events (when did the student transfer and how did initial contact happen?)
The transfer portal is still, for all intents and purposes, a nascent being in the world of college sports, so the rules are still being ironed out. But there are those who believe if Iowa was reaching out to Proctor, even if it was to encourage him, then there were ulterior motives to doing so.
Iowa
Storms cause significant damage to Kingsley in Northwest Iowa
KINGSLEY, Iowa (KTIV) – Plymouth County Emergency Management says the city of Kingsley, Iowa, has sustained significant damage after the severe weather on Sunday, May 17.
In a press release, officials say all people are being turned away from entering Kingsley, and numerous power lines have fallen. Management says Kingsley residents are strongly encouraged to stay indoors until routes are cleared and power lines are restored.
If you are a Kingsley resident or in the immediate area, call the Plymouth County Communications Center’s non-emergency line at (712)-546-8191.
Emergency Management says updates will be posted to the Plymouth County Emergency Management Facebook page.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
Iowa
How Jaylen Raynor can Make or Break Iowa State Football in 2026
The Iowa State Cyclones have had quite the offseason. They lost Matt Campbell, Rocco Becht, and the majority of the roster, with many heading to Happy Valley to join the Penn State Nittany Lions. After years of consistency and greatness amongst the Big 12 conference, they now look in a completely different situation. Now, they have to save the program.
Over the last few seasons, Iowa State’s face of the program has been their quarterbacks. Outside of one solid Hunter Dekkers year, the last couple of years have been dominated by the likes of Becht and Brock Purdy. But with Becht now out the door, they have to look to the next best option.
The general consensus around the Cyclones is that their offseason was terrible. Partially that was true. But the players that Iowa State brought in aren’t as bad as people may think, and one name especially, takes the crown as the best offseason addition.
Jaylen Raynor is Key
The Cyclones brought in Jaylen Raynor, a three-year starter from the Arkansas State Red Wolves. He looks like he may be the savior of the program.
Raynor was a solid player as a freshman, having 2,550 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions throughout the year. The potential was limitless right off the bat. He stayed for a second year, improving his numbers to 2,783 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Then finally in his junior year, he once again bumped them up, this time to 3,361 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Raynor has been consistent throughout his collegiate career, and needs to continue that at Iowa State.
To be completely honest, the Cyclones are in a rough situation. Their roster is pretty sub-par, and a lot of their pieces aren’t near the expectations that Iowa State have. One of the only players that can really put everything together is Raynor, one of the most proven veterans of them all.
Raynor has to be the leader of the Cyclones. Everyone is coming in from different programs from different areas at different levels. When that happens, a quarterback needs to come in and lead his team by bringing the locker room together.
Iowa State’s season doesn’t just change depending on Raynor, it’s defined by him. A veteran leader that has consistently proven to shine now gets one last chance with a new program, where he has the opportunity to save the history, the success, and the pride of the Cyclones.
Follow
Iowa
Iowa’s most popular baby names of 2025 start with O and C
BabyCenter releases 2025’s most popular baby names
Discover the trending baby names for 2025. Olivia and Noah top the list, with new favorites like Eliana and Luca.
Expectant parents, if you’re struggling to come up with names for your child, here is some inspiration courtesy of the Social Security Administration.
The Social Security Administration tracks the most popular names given to babies in each state using data from Social Security card applications. People can search back as far as 1960 to see the 100 most frequently given names for both male and female babies on the administration’s website.
The Social Security Administration’s 100 most popular baby names in Iowa overlap with what maternity departments across the Des Moines metro found earlier this year for popular baby names.
So what were the most popular names in Iowa for 2025? Here’s what to know.
What are the most popular baby boy names in Iowa?
Here are the top 10 baby names for males born in Iowa in 2025. Following each name is the number of times a child was given the name, according to the Social Security Administration’s data.
- Oliver: 198
- Liam: 185
- Henry: 176
- Theodore: 176
- Cooper: 133
- Hudson: 124
- James: 118
- Noah: 118
- Bennett: 113
- Owen: 106
Oliver is the undisputed champion when it comes to baby boy names in Iowa. The name has been the No. 1 choice for newborns in the state since 2016. On the other end of the spectrum, Milo, Luka, Tucker, Beckham and Caleb were the least common names in the top 100.
What are the most popular baby girl names in Iowa?
Here are the top 10 baby names for females born in Iowa in 2025.
- Charlotte:158
- Evelyn: 117
- Emma: 116
- Amelia: 112
- Eleanor: 109
- Olivia: 107
- Sophia: 104
- Lainey: 101
- Harper: 98
- Violet: 97
As for the top girls’ names, the race has been more competitive in recent years. Charlotte has held the No. 1 spot from 2023 through 2025 and also topped the list in 2021, while Olivia claimed the top position in 2020 and 2022. The five least common names in the top 100 for 2025 were Brooklyn, Emily, Kennedy, Lennon and Mabel.
The top 10 most popular girl names for 2025 in the U.S.
- Olivia
- Charlotte
- Emma
- Amelia
- Sophia
- Mia
- Isabella
- Evelyn
- Sofia
- Eliana
The top 10 most popular boy names for 2025 in the U.S.
- Liam
- Noah
- Oliver
- Theodore
- Henry
- James
- Elijah
- Mateo
- William
- Lucas
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth
-
Pittsburg, PA5 minutes agoTwo women injured after fight turns into shooting in Pittsburgh neighborhood
-
Augusta, GA11 minutes ago
Buddy Carter to campaign in Augusta during statewide tour
-
Washington, D.C17 minutes agoGregory Barbaccia and Amy Gleason among senior federal speakers at Washington D.C. conference
-
Cleveland, OH23 minutes agoMultiple-car crash on I-90 exit, EMS say
-
Austin, TX29 minutes agoAustin, Texas shooting leaves 4 injured, 3 in custody. What we know
-
Alabama35 minutes agoSupreme Court ruling throws Alabama politics into turmoil
-
Alaska41 minutes agoInterior looks to speed permits in Alaska petroleum reserve
-
Arizona47 minutes agoMesa facility named training site for Türkiye World Cup team