I was mainly just asking if there was any tangible truth to it or just a guess. Didn't know but in order to really know that you'd have to have some good inside info on each player.
Just seemed like kind of a rude assumption to blame academics, especially considering plenty of big programs absolutely don't have great academic qualifications. They're just great at identifying talent. Sometimes guys are just underrated as athletes, rather than not being "smart enough" for P5 schools. (Although Ian Johnson was wanted by Oregon and OreSU).
BYU isn't easy to get into and they find under recruited guys. Who's to say there's a difference in those kids? Boise wanted Jamaal and others, but they got into BYU.
I just really doubt the reason is academics because many big programs aren't even known for it themselves. They're just finding the dudes that aren't being recruited for their athletics by the big boys.