Believe it or not, it has only been a week since Nick Saban retired as Alabama football coach.

It feels more like at least three weeks, considering how much has changed since then.

Kalen DeBoer left Washington to become Alabama's coach Friday. He's hired a number of new coaches while others such as Travaris Robinson have moved on to other spots. Commits have decommitted. Notable players, such as fourth-and-31 hero Isaiah Bond, have entered the transfer portal.

None of that should be a surprise with a coaching change, but it certainly does sting. Still, this is no time to panic. Not yet. Let the dust settle first.

Even if Saban wanted to, he couldn't just hand DeBoer the keys to the luxury Alabama car Saban built. The vehicle might be similar, but it was always inevitable DeBoer's car was going to look different at the start of 2024. NIL and the transfer portal were always going to ensure that. There's already roster change each offseason for many teams because of the transfer portal. It only amplifies when the coach to whom these players committed leaves.

Expecting minimal change is just a setup for disappointment. The moment Saban retired, the question was not if the roster would look different but how different it would be. The greatest college football coach of all time just retired. That's who many of these young men thought would be their coach when they arrived in Tuscaloosa. That's who they picked.

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That's especially the case in the secondary where Saban was also a position coach of sorts. So, it's not shocking defensive backs have departed at a higher rate than any other position in the past week. Caleb Downs planning to enter the transfer portal is the most impactful as the team's leading tackler a season ago, and that no doubt hurts. But some of that turnover is inevitable. It's just unfortunate when one of the best players on the roster is included in that.

These players commit to the people just as much, if not more, than the program. Sure, NIL is going to play a factor to different extents, but at the end of the day, relationships in this business matter.

DeBoer and his staff he has rapidly put together have to try to hotwire connections and relationships with these players. That might work for some, but it won't work for all.

What has happened in the days since DeBoer took the job is frankly the harsh reality of leadership change in college football.

So for now, buckle up. Brace for impact. There has been roster turnover and it figures to continue to some degree. Don't panic yet, though. Alabama can still add from the portal before spring practices. Plus, there will be another window for players to enter and then for the Crimson Tide to add after spring practices.

Football won't be played for another eight months, and there's plenty to be decided as it pertains to building Alabama's roster. The roster will not look anything close to the same as 2023. That doesn't mean it's going to be atrocious.

Or maybe it does end up in a bad spot by next fall. Perhaps the roster won't be strong enough to compete for the SEC or a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Or maybe it will be. Maybe the group DeBoer will put together in his rebuild will be on par or even better than the team he just took to the national championship game last week.

The point is, it's too early to make those determinations. Everyone is entitled and welcome to mourn the departure of some talented players, but other talented players to fill those spots could be on the way before Alabama faces Western Kentucky on Aug. 31. Just wait until around that time to determine the overall condition of the roster.

Rome wasn't build in a day. DeBoer's Alabama team won't be either.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football roster 2024: Time to panic after Caleb Downs decision?