I, for one, think a lot of “big name schools” punch under their weight in general awareness.
WUSTL or now Wash U probably always gets confused with U Wash. U Chicago is another and certainly Rice - people don’t know Rice. My sister thought Emory was an HBCU and I don’t think many know about that. I only knew about Washington & Lee because my dad’s friend went there. Few in Nashville know it. And some parents on here say some folks have never heard of Williams and Amherst - and they’re the creme de la creme. And then a parent the other day said their UPenn student always is being asked about Penn State - and they have to say - no the other one in Philly. And I promise you, ask 100 people outside the Northeast about Tufts - and probably 90 never heard of it.
A lot of it is sports related. Wake Forest - yep. Vanderbilt - yep. UCLA - yep. Even Gonzaga today - yep. Big time conferences or sports.
I think track record wise, there’s no issue with any of these schools.
And perhaps short of a few fields, I think geography plays little part today - as you have the internet - and kids applying online via indeed/linkedin or handshake. Even look at Cornell’s career site - kids are finding jobs on their own, not via the school, in most cases.
My U Alabama son, an engineer, not business, had an offer from a major defense contractor in between Boston/Providence. He ended up on a Western track his first two years - serving rotations so far in Utah, Arizona, and California. His offers were all over - the midwest, south, NE, West, etc. And at the urging of a poster on here, he sent in his resume for a job at Jane Street in NYC, and the next day received their “quant placement test” which he then didn’t complete.
It’s a different world today, perhaps thanks to covid, reduced travel budgets and the internet.
WUSTL has stats that show the NE (not necessarily NY) - and even schools that show little in that regards to NYC are likely moreso from where the students are choosing to apply vs. anything else. Today, algorithms and software are choosing whether to interview someone in many cases.
You can always ask the school for a detailed report with job titles, specific companies, and location. And / or run LinkedIn searches on your own.
I get the ED part - because it’s binding - but as an athlete, and I’m not an athlete parent, I see how that plays a part too.
But career wise, unless maybe a select few, I don’t see it a hindrance at all - as long as the student is persistent and puts focus on the career.
Is the name well known - nope. But is it well known in the circles where it needs to be - very likely so.
Good luck.