Must be tough for the coach from MIT to recruit!
Having talked to a few coaches at elite schools about this none of them told me they felt they had a tougher time recruiting than anyone else. It's not that hard to find the kids who score 2100+ on the SAT - for the most part, the only schools at which those kids are looking are the MIT's of the world. And, as one coach told me, its rare for a kid who scores 2100+, has a 4.0, and took an all AP course load in HS to flunk out of college, even at MIT. Much less angst about academic performance than the coach who recruits the kids with 1400's and B/C grades in HS. If they have a challenge, it's on the financial side, as most of these elite schools are private and pricey. With no athletic scholarships, some families who are tweeners (too rich for need based aid, but really too poor to foot the whole bill) have to make tough choices over which the coach can do little.