Red Wolves receiving visit from top offensive lineman

The graphic wasn't anything out of the usual.

A hulking Kadyn Proctor in uniform laid on top of a yellow backdrop with a handful of college logos across the bottom, one for each of his five scheduled official visits.

Four of the schools were prime destinations for the nation's top offensive tackle: Alabama, Penn State, Oregon and Michigan.

The first stop, however, was perhaps unexpected.

Proctor will arrive in Jonesboro today, making his official visit to Arkansas State University over the next three days. The 6-7, 330-pound lineman is not only the top-ranked player at his position, per 247Sports, but Proctor is also among the top 12 overall in the Class of 2023 at 247, ESPN and Rivals.

ASU Coach Butch Jones has made recruiting in the trenches a priority, so maybe it's not a surprise that if the Red Wolves were going to bring any top prospect to campus, it would be a lineman.

But the through-line with Proctor is easier to draw. A Des Moines, Iowa, native, Proctor has spent the last three years protecting now-Arkansas State freshman quarterback Jaxon Dailey at Southeast Polk High School.

"His ability to move as well as he does for a big," Dailey texted the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette when asked what makes Proctor an elite lineman. "[That ability] allows him to block quicker defenders and overpower bigger ones as well."

Although Proctor did not respond to multiple interview requests, he told On3.com in late May that visiting Dailey was a major reason why he wanted to stop in northeast Arkansas before heading onto his power-conference suitors.

"Arkansas State coaches have been good to me since the jump, treating me like family," Proctor told On3. "I also wanted to take an official ... and have fun on these five opportunities that I am given."

Steve Wiltfong, 247's Director of Recruiting, said he believes the fact that Proctor is visiting a non-Power 5 program indicates the Iowan has zeroed in on his potential destinations.

Wiltfong added that Oregon has "done a really good job" with Proctor and said that he sees Alabama as a strong potential fit. That's on top of in-state Iowa, a school Proctor noted he's visited unofficially 10-plus times.

Even if the Red Wolves aren't nearly as serious a contender for Proctor as the fact that they're among his five officials would typically suggest, the mere fact that ASU is pursuing high-level prospects illustrates Jones' plans as the Red Wolves continue their rebuild.

"He plays extremely nasty," Wiltfong said of Proctor. "He's twitchy at the point of attack but he's strong and can punish people. ... It's a position that hears their name high in the NFL Draft every year."

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