Have you heard specifically at this school that merit in ED is lower than in EA? I doubt the AO would directly tell you an untruth, OTOH it’s ridiculous they won’t do a FA pre-read for you.
I agree with the above that your kid has to work thru the two scenarios with the coach. 1) Apply ED, potentially not get enough merit, and be forced to pull out of the agmt for financial reasons or 2) apply EA, but have to understand if that’s even an option in the coach’s eyes…as they might instead give the supported slot to someone else in ED, which is certainly their prerogative. Then it’s not clear there’s even room on the team for your kid. Tricky conversation but one your kid has to have. Are you fairly certain of admission in the EA round?