Just speculating here, but it is definitely worth looking at this another way. Lovie and staff are not just rebuilding the program by improving on field performance, they are also changing the attitude in and around the program.
While you might lose upperclassmen who have shown production (something I would disagree with simply because tackles don't mean a player is performing well), you are putting yourself in a better position moving forward. I'm sure Tito is a good guy with the best of intentions, but you can't have guys that throw flags back at referees on your roster. This is in addition to his suspension earlier in the season. Those actions and that kind of attitude is a leech on the success of the program.
Regardless of why they left, the additional scholarships are a huge benefit to the rebuild. While it may cost us a win or two next season, the purpose of the rebuild is not to win 4-5 games in 2018, but to win 7-8 games from 2019 on. We need to use scholarships on guys that can help us win in the future, not on guys that produce a product that show just how far we fell during the Beckman and Cubit years. Getting closer to a full class this year will only speed up the rebuild. It is tough on the upperclassmen, but needs to happen if we want to fully rebuild.
Very well said. The culture change may be the biggest of all their challenges.