These are very good points. My D made sure that the coaches were well informed on the academic side early and often with updates. She had a lot of rigor in her HS coursework and took her SAT after completing her sophomore year. Her score was high enough that it would not be a worry anywhere. NESCAC coaches asked her to provide unofficial transcripts at the end of her junior year but the feedback was consistent that academics were fine after the end of her first semester of her junior year.
We do know kids who did fail their pre read but they are exactly as @BKSquared described; true impact players who were on the edge academically.