I ran track at Cornell a long time ago, and I'd say nearly all the athletes I knew were there for the academics. I can't speak for the hockey team, though.
Very, very few Ivy undergraduate wrestlers (and likely other athletes) transfer, even though there are a plethora of better programs with better coaches. IIRC, nobody followed Koll from Cornell to Stanford.
I disagree with the idea that a degree from UNC is no different in most career paths than one from Cornell or Stanford. Merited or not, that's the way it is. You might consider the idea that recruits went to Cornell (when Koll was there) and Stanford (when Koll was there) because Koll helped get them into those schools, in addition to the idea that Koll had built a great program at Cornell and was likely to do the same at Stanford. I'm sure he'll do the same at UNC. We'll find out soon enough if current Stanford wrestlers or recruits follow him.