Naturally, everyone's experiences are vastly different. My daughter was the school's top recruit and she knew she would start as a freshman. This wasn't a promise from the coach but rather she had a strong belief if herself and a history of outstanding achievements. Fortunately for her, she was part of a strong recruiting class which resulted in four other freshmen starting as freshmen. This is rare. Still, the upperclassmen were cruel. The other freshmen in that recruiting class didn't make it into the season. For the rest of the recruiting classes, only one freshman would start for any of those classes. As it is with human nature, there were constant complaints about politics, abilities, and how much money parents raised in fundraisers.
Per "kids today," nothing changes, and kids today are no different than at any other time. Their challenges are different and, perhaps their parents are different. IMO, you have players in college who are driven and will not accept being anything less than the best. Many of them, but not all, also are competitive in the classroom. There are those there that view athletics as an avenue to an education and while still competitive, want to make sure that they get a quality education. Then, and we all know this even if some don't want to admit it, there are players in college who are playing because they don't want to disappoint their parents. With the level of play and requirements to play at these higher levels, they soon weed themselves out but do so in various ways. JMHO!