I strongly encourage you to be involved in the recruiting, own the narrative, and get to know the coach. How could you choose to join a team without knowing the coach at all? I would also ask to chat with some current team members, either in person or via zoom.
I would expect the coach can get beyond the denied/waitlisted situation (which is it?) unless there are D/F grades, an NCAA eligibility issue, and/or a disciplinary issue.