Losing a whole bunch of production and experience isn’t necessarily an automatic reset situation—it depends on where you’re losing the experience, for one, and also if you recruit consistently at a high level, it tends to be easier to fill gaps. The more talented your replacements, the quicker they tend to learn on the job as well.
NC State was fortunate last year to return a lot on offense last season, including its standout quarterback, which helped to mitigate the attrition that hit the defense hard. That’s one way to successfully navigate heavy losses, as we saw.
West Virginia, however, has not been so fortunate.