"academic excellence " is not equal to intelligence.

There are at least two types of knowledge. F.e. in physics, one could get the understanding of how things works, how they are connected but remember only basic things (so at any time he could figure out anything else from that seed), other will just notch everything but will have no clue of how all that stuff connected and how it could be used to create a new stuff. First one could have critical thinking and ability to use his skill, second one just can't.

I'm sure you meet "engineers" or "scientists" who absolutely could not fix broken things, even as simple as replacing wall outlet or repairing vacuum cleaner hose.