@nomatter I think he just sounds like the kind of young man who would do amazing things with his free time :). Plus, choosing a gap year would get him out of the recruiting pressure. But I completely appreciate and understand your perspective and I think it’s wise to get in and get it done.
NCAA eligibility does not go away, as far as I know. He doesn’t have to be involved in his sport all four years. He can be in control. I don’t know if this is still possible but I know a really fabulous woman who did not play her sport in college at all. She was NCAA-eligible in grad school, though, and she went on to win gold medals for her research university at the NCAA championships in her sport while getting her PhD. Her parents hadn’t allowed her to join the national team training for the Olympics after HS because they thought college was more important. It did work out for her and she ended up a very young tenured professor in a very competitive field. Sports are fickle (injuries, etc.) and I think he’s wise to guard himself.