I only have questions for you
Has he begun the recruiting process? (If not, he should get on that asap). If he has, what kind of feedback has he had?
Any merit money is solely going to be related to academics. So to get a lot โ and others can chime in as to whether $50,000 a year (for a private school) is realistic โ he will have to drop down a few levels academically. That is, he would focus on schools where heโs in the top 10%,wrt academic stats.
Are there any state schools that fit the bill? I know some SUNYs are d3, but they are bigger. Eta, I see you are in CT; I donโt know that state school system unfortunately.