"My son was talking to some Ivys over this past winter. He was told that his SAT scores needed to be at least 1350 so the coach would not have to use his "silver bullet" to get him in (my kid is a 2018)."
If the coach was referring to bringing in the super-stud, there is some validity. Ivy football specifically allows for a lowering of academic standards for 1 - 2 players per year. There is something similar (limited to one player) in baseball - 28 ACT is the lowest I've heard.
If the coach was referring to the process in general, that is not the way it works. A coach gets a predetermined number of Likey Letters the administration will issue (6 - 8 per year); absent the kid obtaining that LL, the kid runs the admissions gauntlet as a regular student. With an admission rate of roughly 3% for unhooked students, it's a bad risk. The LLs are issued by admissions, following the submission of a totally completed application (essay included, although the quality of that essay is debatable). No LL, no athletic admission.
So, if the coach was referring to that single player who almost makes it, there is a small degree of academic leeway; otherwise, the coach needs to use that silver bullet (LL) for every player. (Son's team had a true walkon every year. That kid who made it through admissions without coaches support. Those kids were really really bright.)