I see a lot of comparisons between the 07 defense and the 23 defense, which I totally get. But I think we need to keep in mind that 07 was year 3 for Meyer and this is year 2 for Napier. We will still have a relatively young team in 24, but hopefully not as young as 07 thanks to the portal. I think we'll be much improved then, but not top 5 or true championship contenders. We may be starting a true fr QB next year.
Realistically, our '25 team (year 4) is the team that can make some noise when this defensive class has some upper-classmen and Lagway has a year under his belt. If the '24 class finishes in the top 5, then the 2026 team could be even better. Patience is tough for us fans, but the foundation Napier is building is making the future look very bright. Unfortunately, that bright future might be a year or 2 further away than we'd prefer.