Kalen DeBoer has no problem with his Washington Husky squad talking about a national championship.

On the heels of an 11-2 season, UW has renewed optimism. DeBoer was brilliant in his first season after coming over from Fresno State. His prior relationship with Michael Penix Jr. led the quarterback to Seattle, and the UW offense around Penix proved the right mixture of talent, explosiveness, and creativity. The Huskies had the best passing attack in college football.

And so many pieces that made it possible decided to come back. Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan out wide. Penix behind center. All talked about unfinished business when they made their intentions known. UW didn’t play for a Pac-12 title last season. If it had, perhaps it would have also been a win away from the College Football Playoff.

Building upon Year 1 could once again put UW on the CFP’s doorstep.

“Honestly it probably gets more talked about because it was a part of the unfinished business and some of the guys deciding to come back. There was more out there that they wanted to accomplish and achieve,” DeBoer said Saturday after the team’s spring showcase. “When you talk championships, that’s the ultimate goal. If you don’t have it as a realistic goal, you’re never gonna achieve it. So, it’s gotta be something you’re striving for.”

The spring game on Saturday was vanilla for Washington. Stars needed to stay healthy. DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb don’t need to show much of anything.

Related: Can Washington’s Spring game be a springboard to a Playoff berth? — Jon Gold

The work that takes place in the coming months will be more important.

“I just focus on pushing the guys and challenging them and asking them, ‘Are you putting in the work that supports reaching that goal?’ You go back to the process,” DeBoer continued. “I think it gets talked about more in this type of setting than it does even within our own walls of the team and the program. I’m OK with them understanding that that’s what it is, but in the end, it’s about us every single day having what we call a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement. And if we do that, with the talent (UW has) and you catch a couple breaks along the way and stay healthy for the most part, I think that’s where those things can happen.”