"The guys that are with us right now are gonna be the heart and soul of the team": Kalen DeBoer talks Bama's dwindling roster on 'The Pat McAfee Show'

Ever since Kalen DeBoer took over the Alabama Crimson Tide after Nick Saban's retirement, there's been a mass exodus of talent, including Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin, from the school.

The departures have been the main thing that the college football media has focused on. But DeBoer is not focused on this and will work with the players that he has.

"The guys that are with us right now are gonna be the heart and soul of this team," DeBoer said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday.

DeBoer is working with what he has

The Crimson Tide has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and has been able to obtain many five-star recruits. Even with a good number departing, Alabama should still be strong.

When pressed to give a number of how many five-stars the Crimson Tide still has, while DeBoer did not give a direct number, he appeared to agree with McAfee's suggestion of 55.

A lot of players who committed to the Saban-led Crimson Tide have stayed. Additionally, DeBoer has been able to gain many players from the Washington Huskies, whom he led to the national championship game this season. After he left Washington, the program has also seen an exodus of talent similar to Alabama.

DeBoer knows that filling the shoes of the legendary Nick Saban is going to be difficult. Players will leave because of his hiring. But DeBoer is a strong coach who can do a lot more with a lot less talent, as he has done at other schools.

A chip on the shoulder

Kalen DeBoer also said that the starters who have not declared for the NFL draft this year will be playing with a “chip on their shoulder.”

This is because of the way their season ended last year. They took the Michigan Wolverines to overtime in the Rose Bowl before losing to a late touchdown from Wolverines running back Blake Corum.

Kalen DeBoer knows what this is like as well. One week after Alabama was eliminated, Corum delivered the striking blow against the Huskies in the national title game. Both the coach and his players will want to end next season successfully.

DeBoer believes that this mentality will fuel Alabama to get the strong talent that they have available to lead them to not only the College Football Playoff but to a national championship.