Kalen DeBoer is right where he wants to be.
Alabama football’s 2025 season is still alive in the College Football Playoff. After a 34-24 road win against No. 8 Oklahoma on Friday, Dec. 19, DeBoer and the No. 9 Crimson Tide are preparing to face No. 1 Indiana in the CFP quarterfinal at the 2026 Rose Bowl. The chance at a CFP National Championship remains.
But another reality looms.
The new two-week NCAA transfer portal window opens Friday, Jan. 2 — one day after the CFP quarterfinal — and lasts through Friday, Jan. 16. Teams that play in the CFP National Championship Game will have a five-day portal period from Jan. 20-24.
DeBoer knows the transfer portal window is coming. And roster retention for the 2026 season remains on his mind.
“I think there are conversations the coaches continue to have,” DeBoer said. “Just, our antennas are up, you know?”
But there is an element, DeBoer said, that makes Alabama unique. Strong relationships allow for real conversations, ones in which coaches and players “can be really up front and honest and talk through things.”
“There’s a care that these guys have for each other where, first and foremost, we want to take advantage of what we have done all season,” DeBoer said. “This is why you did all the work, was to be able to play in this game. But there also is a reality of that time coming when the portal does open. Just talking through any of the what ifs, any of the different scenarios. And every guy’s situation is different. Us just kind of making sure that if there is any type of, don’t call it a red flag, but anything that you think might happen, let’s talk about it.”
This approach has a track record of success. DeBoer pointed to past portal periods when Alabama retention has been strong, including the spring period ahead of the 2025 season when no Crimson Tide player left the program.
Alabama has already added a piece for 2026 via the transfer portal in former Oklahoma State tight end Josh Ford.
As Alabama balances a Rose Bowl and building a roster for 2026, DeBoer plans to do what he’s always done.
“That’s what we hope we would continue to do with our coaching staff and relationships as well as our players and the way that they care about the program as well as this season and finishing strong,” DeBoer said.
Alabama kicks off against Indiana in the Rose Bowl at 3 p.m. CT Thursday, Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California. Alabama-Indiana will be broadcast on ESPN.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
