Nathan Proctor Enters the Transfer Portal

Nathan Proctor
Nathan Proctor has hit the transfer portal. (Ivan Morozov)

Virginia Tech redshirt sophomore defensive end Nathan Proctor has entered the transfer portal.

Proctor is a former 4-star recruit from Maryland, though he was always considered raw and a long-term prospect by those who studied him closely as a football player.  He played 98 defensive snaps for the Hokies last season, but he had fallen behind redshirt freshmen Eli Adams and Jaevon Becton, as well as converted linebacker Jaylen Griffin, on Virginia Tech’s depth chart.  There is also speculation that he had fallen behind redshirt freshman walk-on Nigel Simmons, whom defensive line coach Charley Wiles mentioned in an interview last week.

Proctor made three tackles and broke up one pass in his 98 snaps last season.  By transferring now, he can sit out this coming season and be eligible to play for his new school in 2020.

64 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Eventually universities will have to pay players. You will see some serious transfers then.

  2. First time commenting on this Portal issue – It has many flaws ! This timing is just wrong and while I will him the best but he should have made this move earlier.
    Plus like a lot of posts I question his work ethic. Nothing worth anything comes easy.

  3. I believe a player should be able to enter the portal at any time up to three weeks prior to the season’s beginning. Then, the portal should be closed until the end of the regular season. I believe his scholarship should be maintained for the remaining semester after he enters the portal as long as grades are maintained and practice attended. However, the blade cuts both ways. Prior to the end of the semester he enters the portal, the school should have the option of continuing the scholarship or not. Period. No discussions as to why. There needs to be a win-lose decision by the athlete rather than a “nothing to lose, I’ll give it a try” scenario that now exists. The decision to enter the portal has got to have a downside as well as an upside for the student athlete making it a more significant choice.

  4. Would any of us be happy if we found ourselves in a similar situation to his?…..Think not.
    Doesn’t matter why it happened……..it happened
    Smart decision to leave now and hopefully start fresh……..no regret, just a new beginning
    Good decision for Nathan Proctor Jr. and Hokie Football
    Best wishes for a bright future Nathan Proctor Jr.

  5. I’m picturing a playground pickup game and this kid doesn’t get picked by either team. So he goes to another playground – one w smaller kids.

    1. Also — proof that rankings and stars mean jack squat. A “4-star” that was a “raw and long-term project”? Sounds like a mid 3 star to me at best.

      1. ANNNND… looking at his twitter: He was an UA All-American???? Did the kid just not put in work once he got here???

        1. Maybe one of those things w/everyone talking in his ear about how great he is and it takes the edge off. Walks into camp thinking his position is a foregone conclusion and its not. Not trying to throw shade, just part of the learning process growing up that you gotta keep pushing no matter what… and not to listen to the hangers on.

        2. That is a problem with the all-star games too. They play in them against other all-stars and they look like they can make the play right? They play in an all-star and do some good things. So how come they can’t play when they get to college? Is it that they can’t master the roles and system they would play in? They can’t beat out other people. He isn’t strong enough? Quick enough. All-star games don’t tell much/

    1. This is the normal path, when you are lazy, lack talent and ability. This is a good
      thing ! We can use the extra scholarship.

          1. We all should be, it’s a 20 year old kid trying to find his path. Have some class, wish him some luck and move on!

          2. Agree, picture it being your son/daughter we are on here debating their life choices.. Move on wish the kid well and next man up. Go Hokies!

      1. didn’t you just recently call someone out on the commitment article for an unnecessary comment? double standard… smh

  6. The transfer portal may be good for the athlete but it definitely isn’t for the universities or the fans. Overall, I think it’s bad for college football. Getting a scholarship never guarantees any player they will be on the field. You earn your playing time and the best players are determined by the coaches and obviously are going to play more. That’s life!!!! This portal deal is not a good thing for college football.

    1. College football as we have all known it will be completely decimated in the not too distant future. This is all ridiculous (quitting/transfer portal is just a small symptom of a larger problem). Kind of funny we’re “celebrating” the 150th anniversary of college football this year. It’s more like watching the Titanic sink. Enjoy it while it lasts. Soon we’ll be memorializing what was once a great American sport/tradition. No coincidence that colleges and universities (professors) are leading the charge of societal degeneration…

      1. If professors are “leading the charge of social degeneration”, perhaps you could become a professor and change the momentum. Nothing stopping you. You may need to get another degree or degrees and you would undoubtedly take a large pay cut when you became a professor, but you could do this. I did 11 years ago and now I teach 400-450 students a year US History and World History. How ’bout it?

    2. But why is it bad for college football? Because a player is exercising his own agency in taking control of his football and academic career? In this case here – of Nathan Proctor – was he your favorite player? Why exactly is a transfer like his negative for the university or for fans of the football program?

      I ask these questions in an attempt to learn why many on this board are so opposed to the transfer portal. The vitriolic reactions to young people trying to do what is best for themselves is baffling to me. I see posters trashing 18-21 year old young people that they do not know and have never met.

      1. I wouldn’t demean any young folks trying to find their way in life. And I dont think that’s the aim of anyone here when they sit back and think about it for a moment. I think the frustration is with the system as a whole and how it is fundamentally changing. Being on a team is supposed to be about being a part (no matter how big or small) of something bigger than yourself. And it’s about commitment. That’s why coaches and players deliberate for months and sometimes even years prior to signing day. That’s why they get on-campus and in-home visits. The school makes a financial and logistical commitment and the player makes a time commitment. We are dismayed, I think, because most of the recent changes to the sport are encouraging kids to ask “What has my team done for me lately?” Instead of “How can I continue to help my team?” I just don’t think that’s a beneficial attitude for life and certainly not a good one for 18-21 year olds. We’re basically telling them: “It’s okay. This is all about you. Take off if you’re not getting what you want. Find yourself a greener pasture”. If enough people have that attitude then eventually we won’t have a team any more. We’ll just have a collection of individuals.

        And as another poster said… just wait until they start paying players above and beyond their free tuition… which few kids understand the true value of anyway. Right now they feel as if they are playing for free. While it may seem like the fair or right thing to do (salaries, whatever)… pay attention to who argues the loudest for this… it’s big $$ schools and TV networks. They want the hype and ad revenue all that will generate. There’s no altruistic motive here.

        In the not so distant future… Your 1000 yd rusher this year will become your rival’s 1000 yard rusher next year… that rival with 2x your athletic budget. I’m not looking forward to that.

  7. Good luck Mr. Proctor in your future endeavors. I get this one completely. He’s buried deep, deep in the VT roster, already burned a redshirt, leaving now gives him a shot at playing next year at the Group of Five level or most probably at FBS level. But he might get a chance to play. He was going to be scout team here…maybe. So many had passed him on the depth chart he was not getting on the field for the Hokies, probably ever. Good for him and VT, this is a win-win.

    Ellis on the other hand could have seen playing time had he stayed and competed. His decision was immature IMHO, but I’m not the kid and his family.

    Other than perception, I haven’t seen big negatives with the guys who have left VT into the portal. Most were losing ground in the depth chart or a few were disgruntled or dismissed (Hill). Might have been nice to have Jackson to back up Ryan, but that wasn’t realistic.

    Go Hokies! Beat BC!

    1. Agree. I don’t see any negative on this one for VT, I’ve not heard anybody say we handled him poorly. He just got passed on the depth chart, it happens, it’s not pleasant, but it does happen. It says we have a LOT of upcoming talent for that to happen. Look at all the QBs that went into the portal, because their school has an amazing freshman or sophomore QB who flew past them on the depth chart.

  8. Heard Scott Frost say the other day that Nebraska had lost 34 players since he became HC. It happens. New head coach, new staff, new scheme, new culture . . . .

  9. Would like to have true effect on scholarship numbers. If in portal & not practicing, then should not count in scholarship numbers. Otherwise, NCAA needs to change rules or be specific rather than all over the board transfers we’ve seen this year.

  10. This is crazy. Chris, with your inside info, do you know if Ellis, and now Proctor, are still with the team and participating in practice? (Ellis has just recently disappeared from hokiesports.com site; but, as of this writing, Proctor still appears.) Is VT still obligated to honor Ellis’ scholarship since he bailed before classes started? Since Proctor waited until three days after classes started, will VT have to carry him until December, even though he clearly doesn’t want to be here? I understand that 17/18/19-year olds can make bad decisions in choosing the college to attend; but, this portal business is out of control.

    1. I think school starts next week, so not as you mention about after classes start? Not 100% sure

  11. If he’s #7 on our DE depth chart – which ain’t exactly stocked with all-conference types – I bet he ends up at an FBS school.

  12. Transferring gives him another year to “season” and extend his career, so he has more time to reach his full potential. Good luck to him.

  13. A “4 star” being passed by a just converted LB and even challenged by a walk-on? Tells me all I need to know

    So at best he was DE #6?

      1. It’s flawed in as far that a guy with talent may not be able to translate that to college ability, The only thing worse than the current star system is no star system. It’s better than nothing, but I think our coaching staff has been good to evaluate on actual talent, not just the star rating.

        Not saying this has anything to do with it, but with some high rated recruits, they don’t always put the effort when they get to college. No idea how much, if any, that applies here.

      2. Keep in mind that 4 stars only predicts that a player will start and do well at some point in their 5 yrs. and he still has time to get better and grow up – just a kid but looks like a beast.

  14. Transfer – hope for immediately and abundant play time.
    Not Transfer – Work hard to get better and be a star for a good team. Best chance for playing in the league.

    1. This isn’t a fairy tale. These guys have an incredibly short window of opportunity to play. How can you expect a young man to be happy buried that deep on the roster to not look for an opportunity to play? He will have to “work hard” even if he transfers. He has had to “work hard” to even get a sniff of college-level ball. Just wish the kid luck and focus on your team.

    2. The league? If you mean a college football conference being equal to a league, then yeah.

    3. With all due respect, if a guy has been passed on the depth chart by a converted LB, and possibly by a walk-on, I highly doubt he has potential to wind up in the NFL. If he’s not going to be making a career out of this, I don’t blame him for possibly going somewhere where he can play.

  15. I agree with a comment a poster made recently: the ability to enter the transfer portal should be shut down for some part of the year (like, oh, I don’t know, within 9 days of the season starting, and through the season).

    1. I think it is great that players can get out whenever they want. It is great for Proctor that he will be able to sit at a new school and train with a new staff instead of sitting at VT knowing he will never play and not able to transfer until the Spring.

      The biggest issue is how do the scholarships shake out at both schools. Is VT off the hook with Proctor for this year or does that not happen until he signs with a new school? If we can get him off the books this Fall and put a walk-on on scholarship or pick up someone else from the portal I think this is a good thing. If we end up stuck with Proctor on scholarship all Fall and he is in the portal, but not practicing….this is a bad thing.

  16. I don’t think this is a surprise and won’t hurt us short term. But dang we are becoming America’s portal team.

    1. I think the portal is just a new fact of life. As long as the primary reasons for a transfer are too much talent in front of them that is not necessarily a bad thing.

    2. who cares. If the kid can’t get to where he wants to be then fine if he wants to leave. Do you think this is on the coaches?

    3. I’m sure we aren’t the only school dealing with these althlete first, student second transfers. Almost all schools will have their share over the years. You just are only focused on VT. Hopefully, it will be good for all involved. Why have a players who aren’t happy on the team & if athletes care more about playing time than being at a particular school to get a degree from that school, then they should feel free to transfer. We’ll get used to it.

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