Yes, agree that it matters in that sense. Good point. In my experience coaches are good at doing this filtering and educating pretty early.
At Ivies, coaches make sure recruits understand there’s no athletic money and to look at the NPCs. Generally Ivy Track coaches view FA as a competitive advantage though, so requiring need-based aid isn’t detrimental to recruiting chances. In Track and Field at least.
At other D1s, FA status won’t prevent them from recruiting someone, given that they have athletic money to use, and that they don’t typically face the same numbers/slots restrictions Ivies do. I just can’t think of a scenario where a coach was recruiting someone who they thought they could get for 25%, for example, and that person not being eligible for need-based aid would cause the coach to pull back.