On the subject of recruiting NCAA athletes, 2% of players get a chance to play professionally, that's not necessarily in the big leagues either, just in general. The problem, aside from all the infrastructure to recruit that Rugby League doesn't have, is that the vast majority of NCAA guys aren't up to the standards of any professional sport.
If you need a really good example, take a look at the number of NCAA guys who go to Europe for basketball and get absolutely demolished by European pros. They're good athletes, in the same way guys who spend their lives in reserve grade are, but the diamond in the rough is unlikely to be found in comparison to the huge expense it would take to look into it. That being said if the NARL gets off the ground, long term it'll become a decent breeding ground for future NRL talent.