Iowa self-reported an NCAA violation after Tyler Barnes, Iowa’s recruiting director, sent a text message to Kadyn Proctor, an Alabama player at the time.
Barnes emailed Proctor, “hang in there, buddy,” after he yielded two sacks and five total pressures versus Texas. Proctor told reporters how helpful this support was during a difficult time on the field. Proctor, who grew up in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, near Des Moines, had been pledged to the Hawkeyes for about six months before opting to commit to Alabama the day before the signing period began in December 2022. Proctor has subsequently transferred to Iowa and is currently enrolled in spring classes.
“Even after I was battling in the SEC, they contacted me and told me, ‘We’re proud of you. In a comment acquired by The Athletic two weeks ago, Proctor stated, “You’re going to get through this. “That’s what ultimately helped me with my decision because they still believed in me.”
The correspondence between Barnes and Proctor was sufficient to justify Iowa filing a self-violation. Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz addressed the incident on Thursday, informing the media that all relevant parties, including Barnes and Proctor, had been interviewed by compliance and that the case was “in process.”
“In the context of what was shared in that message it doesn’t lessen the fact that we need to be responsible for what the rules are, but certainly there was a human element to the engagement, and I think that will be clear,” Goetz said in reference to the event. “Anytime we make a mistake, we’re going to hold ourselves accountable and take appropriate actions to ensure we don’t find ourselves back in that same position again.”
Level 3 NCAA violations are small breaches that provide no competitive benefit. They usually entail isolated or restricted incidents of wrongdoing and do not contain major infractions linked to recruiting, academics, or extra rewards. Level 3 infractions include insufficient monitoring of recruiting operations, minor eligibility concerns, and the provision of limited sums of illegal perks. Typically, these offenses result in minimal penalties, such as limited practice time or small fines.
The NCAA examines the cumulative impact of multiple Level 3 breaches, regardless of whether they are isolated or limited. If these offenses are repeated or demonstrate a pattern of rule disregard, they can escalate to a higher level of severity. The NCAA understands that even a seemingly minor advantage can have an influence on fairness, taking into account both the actual benefit received and potential benefits that may occur. Level 3 breaches can have serious ramifications for student-athletes, especially if they impact their eligibility.
Although Goetz agrees that they had to self-report the breach, she downplayed the gravity of the incident and reiterated that all parties concerned were informed about the problem. She also explained why the text needed to be self-reported.
“We spoke with compliance, Kadyn, and Tyler and will submit our findings. There is no real investigation here.”If an assistant coach leaves to work somewhere else and starts texting (a player), those are technically illegal discussions, regardless of whether you’re saying anything like, ‘Hey, how’s your mom doing? So it gets a little difficult because you want them to be human, and people do form genuine connections with them.”
