The most important job for Kalen DeBoer is keeping the Alabama football team together

A lot will happen for Alabama football with the Iron Bowl on Saturday, followed by the first day of the Class of 2025 Early Signing Period four days later. Less than a week later, the college football transfer portal’s main period begins on December 9th. The portal will remain open until December 28th. For most teams, it will reopen after spring training; April 16th to April 25th.

The time won’t be as hectic as it was for DeBoer last January. After Nick Saban’s retirement, Alabama’s player turnover went deep into the roster. DeBoer and his staff managed it well, adding key transfers that nearly made up for the departures.

Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan have had plenty of time to prepare for the next transfer portal cycle. Alabama will be active and the NIL funds are expected to be sufficient to complete the deals the roster is asking for.

The period will begin with great uncertainty and remain unpredictable throughout. But that means DeBoer and his staff won’t have a well-developed plan. Most player departures will be known in advance. Some of this comes from encouraging players to look for another opportunity for the team.

The 8-3 record suggests otherwise, but the 2024 roster was well-stocked with player talent. Some Crimson Tide players haven’t improved as much as expected. Some also didn’t fit well with Kalen DeBoer’s offensive system. There is no reason to believe DeBoer won’t improve the Crimson Tide’s roster for the 2025 season.

The class of 2025 is just as important as success in the portal. Alabama has 21 verbal commitments and is the No. 2 class in the On3 industry rankings. It’s important to keep those 21 players and potentially add three or four more. Several current commitments can play key roles as newcomers, perhaps even as starters. Other programs are trying to flip some of the Tide’s top commits, and DeBoer needs to prevent such erosion in the class.

After the embarrassment at Norman, it’s fair to wonder whether DeBoer can hold the current team together for the Tide’s final two games. This may not be important for a later bowl game, but it is extremely important for the Iron Bowl. Finishing strong is the mantra this week in Tuscaloosa. Tyler Booker is the Tide’s vocal leader. On Monday he said: “Everyone who is here wants to be here. As if no one was leaving the ship. Everyone who is here wants to be here. Just the love we all have for each other. This will keep us together. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to continue to stay together, no matter how many games we have left.

Undoubtedly, Booker is sincere. If one of his teammates doesn’t share his determination, it will show on Saturday.