ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY PRUDENTIAL: ALABAMA VS INDIANA

December 30, 2025

Kadyn Proctor

Alabama Crimson Tide

Press Conference

Q. I was talking to Bray over there, and he was talking about a word that describes this team, and he said unbreakable. What was the message? What was the meaning, especially for you guys, throughout the season? Has that stuck as the theme all year?

KADYN PROCTOR: I feel like it has for sure. We've gone through some ups and downs, and we didn't get that first bye, so that's really you got to be unbreakable. No matter how low the lows are, you've got to pick that up, you've got to pick each other up. And Coach has done a really good job reminding us that we're unbreakable. At the end of the day, we've got to go 1-0 and really just focus on our job.

Q. What is it about this Indiana front seven that impresses you? I know they've been able to get to the quarterback and disrupt. What have you seen?

KADYN PROCTOR: I've seen just disrupters everywhere. They've got All-American guys. They've got Big Ten guys, All Big Ten guys. You see that on film too. They play hard. They play with a lot of effort, and they're a really great team at the end of the day.

Q. Being from Big Ten country in Iowa, to see a school like Indiana play in a Rose Bowl, do you kind of, as somebody who's from the Midwest, kind of see that and you're going, you know what, good for you?

KADYN PROCTOR: I mean, as the opponent of the team --

Q. Probably not, yeah.

KADYN PROCTOR: Yeah, probably not, but for Midwest, I suppose so. We're happy for every team, you know. It's a hard season. It's a long season. So you understand the grind, and they understand the grind. I know they're blessed to be here, and we're blessed to be here too.

Q. I know you may not want to tip anything off right now, but is there a possibility you're catching a pass in the Rose Bowl?

KADYN PROCTOR: No. It's strictly O-line play, man. That's what it comes down to. We can't really do too much of that crazy stuff. We're in the College Football Playoffs. We're focusing on that. I'm the offensive line, man.

Q. Got the big man Kadyn Proctor with us right now. Crimson Tide, Alabama, you guys are in the Rose Bowl. It's in the song; it's in the fight song. How does it feel being in Pasadena?

KADYN PROCTOR: It feels great. Obviously being here once and experiencing that. It was fun the last time we came here, just to come back with a new team and new guys that get to experience this with me. We're just really blessed to be here. Happy to be here, happy to play against Indiana, a great team.

It's been a long season. This is what we work for. We're happy to be here.

Q. You're the one guy here that I've got the NIL purchase for with that thick and sexy shirt or whatever it is. I got that thing, man. You are a heck of an athlete. I know some of that is God given, some of that is developed. Give us an idea what does it actually take to have the agility that you have?

KADYN PROCTOR: It's kind of been instilled in us at Alabama to just work hard. I mean, in anything: in meetings, in practice, off the field, in school. Like I've seen that that's been the biggest benefit. So for what I put in is what I get out. I've definitely seen that through my time here.

That's really all it is, like you said. There's some genetics in there, but I really do work hard, and I really try to just be the best player and person off the field and on the field that I can be.

Q. Your entire group up front, there's been a lot of conversation about the offensive line, the run game and the pass game and protection. How would you describe your offensive line?

KADYN PROCTOR: I feel like we're security, and we're unbreakable at the end of the day. We've all had some breakdowns. At the end of the day, that's really just what it is. You're not going to be perfect. So people have to understand that, and people have to understand that we're going against the best front sevens in the country week in and week out.

It's tough playing for an offensive line in the SEC, but I feel like we've been doing a really great job. If we weren't doing a really great job, we wouldn't be where we're at today.

Q. How do you adjust over the last three games, from the Auburn game to the Georgia game to the Oklahoma game till now, certainly it's an offensive look each week.

KADYN PROCTOR: I wouldn't say so for real.

Q. Protection-wise.

KADYN PROCTOR: Protection-wise, yeah. We're not really focused on that. We're just focused on putting work in week in and week out. Coming every day and going 1-0, that's who we've always been. Just put your head down and keep working.

Q. Brief experience at Iowa when you went back for a couple months. What did you learn? Is there anything you would have done differently in retrospect?

KADYN PROCTOR: It's kind of behind me, you know what I'm saying? It's been some years. I don't really got too much to say. I just know that I'm back where I need to be at the end of the day, and I'm happy right now to be here and play in the Rose Bowl with University of Alabama.

Q. How did you grow as a person since you came back to the University of Alabama?

KADYN PROCTOR: I would say Alabama just really does a great job at making us the best men on and off the field. With school-wise, we have advisors that really love us and put love into us. They're happy to help in any way. I would say the coaches do the same thing.

I'd say that's really what's built me up to be the man I am, having that love and you putting that love out to the world too, man. That's what you need.

Q. How did you become closer with Kalen DeBoer? How did that relationship develop?

KADYN PROCTOR: I feel like it started off with me coming back from Iowa and really just apologizing to him because I know I was stubborn and wasn't really giving him a chance to really talk to me. When I came back, I just said I'm sorry. That's really how I started off.

He respected me for that, and I respect him as a coach. He loves us, and he's just a real genuine guy. I'm really thankful for him.

Q. Do you feel like you had to make amends to your teammates at all, apologize or work with them when you came back?

KADYN PROCTOR: I mean, if they asked me what was going through my mind, I would tell them, but at the end of the day, it's all about ball, man. You're not really worried about the outside factors.

Yes, I can own up to my mistakes, but at the end of the day, we're ball players. I love these guys, and I have really great relationships with them. So pretty easy to come back. I'm just glad they accepted me.

Q. They're the No. 1 seed; you guys are the 9 seed. You guys are pretty big underdogs, which is unusual for Alabama. Do you feel maybe disrespected by kind of how you're being viewed outside your building?

KADYN PROCTOR: I wouldn't say we're getting disrespected because we didn't do what we needed to do in some prior weeks. That's what you get if you don't prepare the right way, you're not focused and locked in. We lost three games, that's what's going to happen.

I know that we're going to learn from these mistakes, and that's why we're where we're at right now.

Q. You were here for the last Rose Bowl trip, right?

KADYN PROCTOR: Yes.

Q. Is it a unique situation that you guys are considered the underdog in these types of games where before rarely you guys were in this position?

KADYN PROCTOR: It doesn't matter at the end of the day. You're playing ball, and if the 1 seed or the 16 seed is out here, it is what it is at the end of the day. It's ball. It comes down to whoever is prepared more at the end of the week, and that's all it is.

Q. Does Indiana's defense remind you of anybody you've faced in your career?

KADYN PROCTOR: I would say like this season they kind of remind me of Vanderbilt, just having gap sound, technical guys that know their assignment. I would say them.

Q. They've never been a 1 seed before. Is it at all hard for you guys, especially a team like Alabama who's used to being in that position, to get motivated for Indiana being No. 1 versus Ohio State or Georgia or one of those teams?

KADYN PROCTOR: No, it doesn't matter. Like I've been saying, it is what it is at the end of the week. Seeds don't matter. You watch the film, it's just like any other week. You watch the film. You see what you need to work on. You see what they've got going on and going through their game plan. It's ball at the end of the day.

Q. How motivated are you guys as a line to run the ball well? I know it's been a story line all year. O-line would love to run the ball.

KADYN PROCTOR: You would love to run the ball, but if it ain't going, we're pretty good at pass protecting. That's always what we want to do. That's always the offensive line's dream is to run the ball every play. But if we don't do our job and we're not technically sound, we can't really do that. I know that's what we're looking forward to, trying to do that. That's every game, trying to run the ball.

Q. After you showed your pass catch ability during the season, were you surprised you didn't make the Biletnikoff finalist award?

KADYN PROCTOR: Not at all, man. It's fun getting those opportunities for sure, and I'm blessed to be in the position that I am and for the coaches to trust me like that. But at the end of the day, I'm an offensive lineman. Got to stick with that.

Q. When they call the play, are you just -- does your mind just start racing like, okay, here's --

KADYN PROCTOR: No, can't start racing, or that's when you'll mess up. That's when you'll mess up if your mind starts racing. You've got to be calm.

I know back in the Georgia game in another interview that I had done, I told them that Ryan had told me before the play, like no moment's too big. That's all it is. You know your assignment. You know what you're supposed to do. You know your job. Go out and execute.

Q. I know it's two different teams, Michigan two years ago out here, Indiana, another Big Ten team. Is there anything you can take away from that first trip out here that you can use for this, or it's two different opponents, two different situations?

KADYN PROCTOR: Obviously two different teams at the end of the day. I would say it really just comes down to the person who locks in the most at practice. I know it's hard being out in L.A. and doing all and seeing all these things, especially being in Tuscaloosa with not too much to do, it's just a football town, and you come out here and you've got guys that are just in awe.

But at the end of the day, it's lock in and do what you need to do. We're out here. It's a business trip.

Q. When you played Michigan two years ago, did Michigan as a Big Ten team, were they a different style of team that maybe you faced in the SEC? Do you remember? Or they were just a good team?

KADYN PROCTOR: I wouldn't say so. They're good teams. It doesn't matter, SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12. It's good teams put out there. They've got really good players, speedy edges, powerful D-tackles. It's the same thing at the end of the day.

Q. Kadyn, you grew up in Big Ten country, correct?

KADYN PROCTOR: Yes.

Q. Did you ever think that Indiana would get to a level where you'd see them play in the Rose Bowl?

KADYN PROCTOR: I mean, I haven't really thought about that too much because I'm not an Indiana fan or any fan of any team. So I never really thought about that.

But to see Indiana to make it, they've been doing some really great things this season. They're definitely well-deserving as they have a really good team. They've put together some really good games, and they're all deserving to be here.

Q. What kind of things does their offensive line do that stood out on tape to you?

KADYN PROCTOR: They're really stout, man. You see their run defense, they stuff them. That's what they want to do. They have really good pass rushers too, older guys. That's what I see. They're powerful guys. We've got to be ready for that.

Q. You likened them to Vanderbilt just a couple of minutes ago. Why? What's the similarities there?

KADYN PROCTOR: Because of them being gap sound and being very technical in what they're doing. I felt like Vanderbilt and them, they know the scheme. They know what they need to do at the end of the day, and they just go out there and execute, yeah.

Q. I guess, just being a guy from Iowa now your second time at the Rose Bowl, what does it mean to you to go from there to the biggest stage in college football?

KADYN PROCTOR: It means a lot. Not really having too many opportunities to go and do these things. I don't know, that people don't really get to travel out here. I know I didn't get to travel a lot when I was in high school. So just to be out here with my teammates, I'm just really blessed to be here and to have this opportunity. It's awesome.

Q. I wanted to ask you a little bit about what has been different about this season now that the band is back together with Coach Grubb and Coach Sheridan. I know that the offensive line group is a little bit different than -- play calls and a new quarterback as your leader. But what have you noticed that's different about the offense this year compared to previous years with the team?

KADYN PROCTOR: I would say we're just really getting comfortable with the coaches. It's hard coming in here the first year with Coach and really having that relationship with your players, but I feel like we've been doing a really great job locking in. At the end of the day, what's really been the difference is just that camaraderie that you have to build.