“^^^is there general agreement that ED really increases the odds of acceptance over RD when you factor in athletes, legacy, and a better pool of applicants (i.e. ED applicants have higher scores/GPA than those that don’t) who will be applying early?”
This varies widely by school. There are some schools where ED offers a definite advantage over RD even when athletes, legacies and QB are factored in. Other schools, not so much. And some don’t disclose enough info to even make a guess…