I was kind of chastised by a lot of our fans when I stated the 2023 team would be a 4 or 5 win team. It was fairly obvious that they still had a bunch of holes when Rhule took over. And I was absolutely positive that Jeff Sims was terrible. But I do understand what Rhule thought he could do with Sims. He knew the pass catchers on the roster were garbage and finding a QB who could run the ball 15 times per game was the best pathway to 6 wins. But not even Rhule could predict the absurdity of Sims fumbling 1 out of every 7 plays.
And then last year, when everyone was claiming this team would be 7-0 going into Ohio State, many fans couldn't believe what the hell I was talking about when I said they would be a 6 or 7 win team. I felt like Raiola was going to hit a freshmen wall at some point, 5-star or not. I knew Neyor and Banks were a step up from 2023, but still not tough enough matchups to help out the freshman QB.
So I have to chuckle now that so many fans are skeptical about the progression of the program. I feel like many of the same fans who couldn't see the forest through the trees the last two seasons are now still just looking at the tree line.
This is an 8 or 9 win team. If they can prove that their new kicker, punter, and long snapper are actually good, this team might be able to crack 10 wins.