‘If I’m good enough, they’ll find me’: Kaleb Proctor explains why he played all 4 years at SLU

In a world where transferring seems to be part of the college experience for athletes, Arizona Cardinals rookie Kaleb Proctor played all four years at Southeastern Louisiana University.

It wasn’t because it was the only option or because he was getting a hefty payday at the FCS school. It was because he wanted to finish what he started with his coaches and teammates and believed in himself.

After 42 tackles, seven for loss and 2.5 sacks across his first two years with the Lions, Proctor had a breakout junior season with a career-high 49 tackles, six for loss and 4.5 sacks, earning him second-team All-Southland honors. That meant the FCS defensive lineman started getting interest from Power Four schools.

With one year left of college ball, the obvious choice would be to take a nice payday and transfer to a strong SEC school in the south to get ready for the NFL, right? Not for Proctor.

“I came in with a great group of guys, and we were a really big class. I think it was 25 of us,” Proctor told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke. “So, when it came time to leave, I’m putting everything together like, ‘Okay, I’ll leave, and I’ll learn a new playbook, I’ll meet new guys, I’ll meet new coaches.’ And I’m like, ‘Why would I do that? If I’m good enough, they’ll find me.’

“So I just went in that last year with that mindset. Let’s go out with the guys you came in with, your best friends and the coaches that you’ve built a bond with over four years.”

Even when high-profile universities came around, with money to offer and a proven track record, Proctor was focused on where his feet were.

“I loved where I was. I loved what I did and the role that they put me in,” Proctor said. “The money really wasn’t a factor cause I told myself if you’re good enough, it’ll all work out and it’ll all pay off, and it’ll all happen how it’s supposed to happen.

“I wasn’t going to go to a school to get $300,000, $400,000 for a year. I was thinking about being in this seat right here, you know, talking to you guys.”

The Louisiana native’s belief in himself and Southeastern Louisiana paid off.

Proctor had a career-high 19 solo tackles, 13 TFLs and nine sacks in his senior season.

The Cardinals’ rookie earned first-team All-Southland honors in 2025 and was the Southland Defensive Player of the Year. He was also invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine and was a finalist for the 2025 Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS.

All of that was enough for Arizona to pull the strings on the defensive lineman in the fourth round of the draft, and the emotions were “insane” for Proctor.

“I can’t even explain it. It’s like an out-of-body experience. Like I’m tingling,” Proctor said. “My family’s going insane, and it’s just like, ‘Wow.’ It was a crazy experience, you know, a day I’ll never forget.”

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