Kalen DeBoer isn’t sure how much of his roster he’ll have for No. 11 Alabama’s matchup against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. However, when it comes to Crimson Tide’s NFL draft hopefuls, he’s optimistic they’ll be sticking around for one more game.

DeBoer was asked about potential opt-outs several times during a 20-minute Zoom call Sunday night. While the head coach is still waiting for players to make decisions about their futures, he’s optimistic he’ll have the majority of his stars against Michgian.

“I feel like right now we’re in a place where most of those guys are planning on playing,” DeBoer said of Alabama’s potential NFL draft picks. “I don’t care what round they are playing on going in. We’ll see, but that’s my early just understanding. … These guy are committed to this place, and there’s been a streak of 10-win seasons, and they’ve got a lot of pride in this program and want to continue to move forward and want to play and spend one more game with their brothers here on this football.”

Alabama was the first team left out of this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff. That marks just the third time the Tide’s postseason hasn’t consisted of competing for a national title since the playoff was first instituted in 2014.

After learning its postseason fate earlier Sunday, Alabama held its team banquet later in the evening. DeBoer said he hasn’t had a lot of one-on-one talks with players but noted the general mood of the team seemed positive given the circumstances.

“I feel like the culture’s in a good place,” DeBoer said. “The mindset of guys, they’ve taken a lot of pride in what we’ve gone through, what we did this year. Whether it’s just the course we stayed on and the way they stuck together. But also, the resume wasn’t perfect, but there were a lot of big moments in the season and big wins that we had this year.”

While Alabama won’t be competing for a national title, the Tide will get a few extra weeks of practice before facing Michigan at the end of the month. Regardless of opt-out decisions, DeBoer believes those extra workouts will be essential toward maintaining momentum for his team and building toward the future.

“Bowl games, any type of postseason is just always critical,” DeBoer said. “You’re just playing more football, and more football helps everyone. It keeps you sharp, it keeps you moving forward, progressing. When you don’t have this time it can be ‘What are you doing?’ It’s a struggle to get better.”

DeBoer was asked about the upcoming practices serving as preludes to potential position battles for next year. While he acknowledged they could play a factor, he maintained that the team’s focus is still on finishing the season out strong.

“We’re trying to maximize the opportunity to go win a football game on Dec. 31,” DeBoer said. “So there’ll be a lot of focus on those guys and us finishing this year strong. These guys that are choosing to play this last game, they’re doing it to win it and finish it out the way its’ supposed to be done.”

Alabama has a previously scheduled team meeting set for Monday. That could serve as an opportunity for some of the Tide’s star players to announce their intentions to the team. DeBoer mentioned that when asked about potential decisions from team captains Jalen Milroe and Tyler Booker, who are both projected to be early-round draft picks next spring.

The head coach said he’d let Milroe and Booker announce their decisions themselves but expressed optimism toward their availability for the bowl game.

“It’s positive for those guys,” DeBoer said. “It’s positive for others, too. I feel like we’re in a good space in what these guys are trying to accomplish.”

Alabama (9-3) will play Michigan (7-5) in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. CT inside Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.