There were times last season when Kipper and TJL showed the best motor and complete skill set on the team.
You're not alone in your opinions. We see the freshman hype train every year, and it's impossible to disprove since we haven't seen the incoming guys play. And why would you want to? It's fun to get excited about the incoming talent.
However, when I look at what Kipper and Te'Jon did in spite of Groce's coaching, I don't get how they can be casually put behind incoming recruits. Alstork is a special case given he's a grad transfer that looks ready made for Underwoods system. I personally think Black will do well in Underwood's system, but I get the reservations about areas where he's perceived as weak.
One thing I think will be fun to watch, is having a deeper rotation. We'll get to see a lot of guys get chances. And Underwood doesn't rely on individuals nearly as much as his system, so he'll substitute more readily to exploit teams. Not sure how quickly our new bigs can get up to speed, but I think we'll be ok.