A few things to empathize with @Golfgr8 here:
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If boarding schools are going to reduce or eliminate APs and replace them with superior content, they need to REALLY educate Top 50 colleges about their curricula, rigor, grading, class rank (if any), etc. School Profiles are not enough. We like to think St. Grottlesex is famous among all top college admissions departments, but I believe a lot of the latter merely throw them into a prep/private school bucket. The unhooked acceptance rates for boarding school kids at many top colleges outside of the northeast tends to bear this out.
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it’s going to be a challenging year for some non ultra-elite athletes seeking recruitment spots. There will be holdovers, fewer chances to be visible, lots of variables. Even if we want our kids to drive the bus, and the boarding school to be the main co-pilot, in some instances parents may want to get involved to help the athletic coaches understand a kid’s athletic talents and potential. This may involve more visits, travel, communications, film editing, reference/phone calls.
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Then there is the “walk-on” scenario, where a kid gets an admissions boost from having the potential to be a walk-on. This becomes a strong EC boost, but not an explicit/committed admissions advantage, and the waiting begins. Kinda like applying to boarding school.
For some kids and parents, it’s going to be a long 9-10 months.
But, plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.