All of the schools mentioned will offer academic support (office hours, some type of academic support center, peer tutoring, etc). The real question is whether or not your student will take advantage of them.
My engineering kids have gone through both types of programs: first year general engineering (FYE) and direct admit to major. I don’t think it matters which you select; success in engineering will depend on your student.
One thing I liked about the FYE program is there is usually an effort by the College of Engineering to expose the freshmen to a variety of engineering fields. Since approximately one third of undergrads change their major (source: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018434.pdf), I feel the FYE program either reinforces the choice of major or helps a student realize early on they are in the wrong major. I also don’t think kids are purposely weeded out; rather, I think the programs are identifying which students belong in engineering.
OP - don’t get bogged down by rankings or a bunch of statistics. If your student has been accepted to an affordable college which he’s excited to attend, then you’ve hit the jackpot. I don’t honestly believe there is much, if any, difference in the programs mentioned.