Most important task for Kalen DeBoer is holding the Alabama football team together

Much will happen for Alabama Football with the Iron Bowl on Saturday, followed four days later by the first day of the 2025 class Early Signing Period. Less than a week later, college football's main Transfer Portal period begins on Dec. 9. The Portal will remain open through Dec. 28. It will open again after spring practices for most teams; Apr. 16 through Apr. 25.

The period will not be as frantic as it was for DeBoer last January. After Nick Saban's retirement, player turnover for Alabama went deep into the roster. DeBoer and his staff managed it well, adding important transfers who came close to making up for the exits.

Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan have had plenty of time to prepare for the next Transfer Portal cycle. Alabama will be active and NIL funds are expected to be sufficient to make the deals that roster needs demand.

The period will open with much uncertainty and will remain unpredictable throughout. That does mean DeBoer and his staff will not have a well-developed plan. Most player exits will be known in advance. Some number of them will result from players being encouraged to seek another team opportunity.

The 8-3 record indicates otherwise, but the 2024 roster was well-filled with player talent. Some Crimson Tide players did not improve as much as was expected. Some were also not good fits for Kalen DeBoer's offensive system. There is no reason to believe that DeBoer will not improve the Crimson Tide roster for the 2025 season.

The 2025 class is as important as success in the Portal. Alabama has 21 verbal commits and is the No. 2 class in the On3 Industry Rankings. Holding those 21 guys and possibly adding three or four more is important. Several current commits can play key roles as freshmen, including possibly 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.

Holding Alabama Football Together

After the embarrassment in Norman, it is fair to ask if DeBoer can hold the current team together for the Tide's two final games. That may not be as important for a later bowl game, but it is exceedingly important for the Iron Bowl. Finishing strong is the mantra in Tuscaloosa this week. Tyler Booker is the Tide's vocal leader. On Monday he said, "Everybody who's here wants to be here. Like nobody's jumping ship. Everybody who's here wants to be here. Just the love that we all have for one another. That's what's going to keep us together. And we're going to continue to stay together. We're going to continue to improve with however many games we have left."

No doubt Booker is sincere. If any of his teammates don't share his determination, it will be evident on Saturday.