Alabama football is entering the busiest part of its calendar. The Crimson Tide plays the Iron Bowl against Auburn Saturday, ending its regular season, before a major moment for roster management.

The football early signing period for high school recruits begins on Dec. 4. The transfer portal opens Dec. 9.

The schedule has been a log jam at the end of seasons for several years now. On Monday, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked how he balances all of the roster management with trying to finish out the season on the field.

“I think that’s one thing with our staff, just the relationships that exist,” DeBoer said of talking to players currently on the roster about their future plans. “I think those little conversations that happen periodically, it might happen different times with different guys, just because they feel open to talk to our staff. Yes, there’s different levels of conversations. Some of them are initiated not just by us but by the players and just talking through it and getting our input.”

An Iron Bowl win is needed for Alabama to preserve any slim chance of a College Football Playoff bid after it suffered its third loss of the season Saturday at Oklahoma. Unfortunately, DeBoer and company must at least pay some attention to the future roster, lest even more seasons turn out like 2024 is threatening to.

“That’s not the focus right now,” DeBoer said. “The focus is on the Iron Bowl. The focus is on the regular season, but I think just in the sidebar conversations that looking to our staff as mentors and you know they have their families they have the people that they go to away from the building as well, just really working through it with them.

“Comfortable with where we’re at, but the roster management piece is a huge deal, this signing class in particular and then obviously, it isn’t just an end of the season thing anymore it’s a constant year-round management of the roster and kind of having a beat on what you think and feel might happen and what you’ve got to be ready for when that time comes.”

Alabama and Auburn are scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The Iron Bowl will be aired on ABC.