You think you're picking on an easy target there, but if you talked to some, you might actually find a few that will talk about young-earth creationism in the context of something interesting like Einsteins theories of gravitational time dilation. Had an engineering professor like this.
Call it cognitive dissonance or not, but it seems pretty normal to be able to hold two concepts in one's head, even ones that seem to conflict... with the hopes of one day reconciling them.
There's just no way a 9 year old can handle serious research papers or form complex arguments about social and global issues. Two things common in most university general education programs.
Can a 9 year old be good at something specific? Sure... but I'd put my money on this kid was pushed through for the narrative and not for the actual coursework.
What is it like talking to a 9 year old who has completed a 4-year EE degree?
Can you walk up to the kid and say, "Hey, solve this bridge/op-amp circuit's transfer function?" or ask a humanities question, "What are the ethical dilemmas inherent in an open discussion forum?"
I guess this is what it feels like to be a young-earth creationist: I simply cannot wrap my head around a 9-year old being able to answer these question, so like a creationist I choose to believe it is a fake.