Hopkins' poetry is definitely metrical; the only reason to consider it non-metrical is inability to master it. (Its formal properties are reasonably well-studied, by the sorts of folks who study such things, though also controversial, because formal study of scansion is the domain of cranks. I say this with all love, and definite sympathy.)
Sprung rhythm is best understood as bringing back features of Old English alliterative verse into accentual-syllabic meter, only counting strong stresses and allowing more unstressed syllables between them than would otherwise be allowed. To differentiate strong stresses from "stressed" syllables too weak to count he too uses alliterative techniques, as well as internal rhyme and other ways to draw extra emphasis to them.
It's not identical to alliterative meter: it still makes some concessions to accentual-syllabic meter and will fall back into it at times. But if you take the time to get a feel for it, you can hear his meter when reading his poems aloud, and it is palpably different from yr friendly neighborhood iambs.
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