If your son become open to slightly bigger schools, he may want to consider U. of Louisville, which I just wrote about here: Colleges w/ Acceptance Rates >20% & Strong Engineering Programs: Schools You Like and Why (NO REPLIES) - #22 by AustenNut. The school has about 16k undergrads, so it’s not huge, but it is bigger than the 11k you originally mentioned. It gives generous merit, is about a 9h drive from NC State, also has some nonstop flights (1h30m), and has lots of sports enthusiasm.
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