I’m just chiming in to note that both of these colleges are individually pretty popular in our HS, but I think it would be somewhat unusual for someone to apply to both. Meaning most Case applicants probably are not applying to Denison, and most Denison applicants probably are not applying to Case. Nothing is objectively wrong with either college, they just appeal to different people.
Of course being a recruited athlete can lead to unusual combinations, which is fine. But if money was not an issue, I would still think most of our kids would have a clear preference.
And unless I am wrong, your kid is in fact like that, and he prefers Case. So again, holding aside the money, I would normally think that was that–such a kid should go with their instincts and be excited about the opportunity to choose that college. And I would of course say the exact same thing if he preferred Denison, because those are both (to me) obviously valid choices for the right kid.