A few questions about athletics......

Not playing sports is like not submitting an SAT or ACT score. If you don't submit a standardized test score, all colleges say that your evaluation will be based on a holistic process. To me, that is the most politically correct "lip service" colleges state without actually stating the obvious which is "your application will be given a holistic review and compared to what our institutional needs and goals are for a well-balanced college class".

If a college participates in D1 or D3 Varsity sports, then you already know that 15-20% of the admits are going to be either be recruited to play those sports or be giving preferential consideration if they do not give out sports scholarships. That puts anyone who doesn't play sports at a disadvantage. Sports are so important to some Top20 schools that colleges even bend the admissions requirements for such applicants. If you are an East Asian, the opposite might be true because of affirmative action.

So a recruitable athlete might get into an Ivy League school with a 1350 SAT score and a 3.7 GPA and a Chinese Female without any athletic ability might need a 1550 and 4.0 to cross the admit committee line.

To answer your last question, you are not going to find any college that specifically recruits students for academics. Ivy's and Elites assume everyone admitted is smart. You will be able to get merit scholarships for your academic narrative but not at the Top 20 schools. UVA would be an example of a good school that gives merit scholarships if you are Ivy Caliber in stats.

Good Luck.