Lets try this set of criteria - which is a major part of how they are evaluated by the NACDA
1. Success: How successful has the program been across ALL sports categories (championships, high rankings)?
2. Branding of Program: How big is the identity of the program at the national level?
3. Academic Integrity: What is the quality of life for student-athletes at the given university in regards to academic support and programs?
4. Revenues
In this day and age, the days of the head football coach "graduating" to the AD slot is a thing of the past. Look at Guys considered top ADs in the country...the position requires someone with a high business acumen (MBA), a history of proven success in University administration, a person who places a high priority on marketing the university, on academics and academic support, and yes, fund raising, and not just from the "big name" donors, but establishing new sources of revenue.
If this person can be found with ties to UT - great!...if not - great! ties to the program or past coaching experience matter exactly ZERO
People seem to forget that Mike Hamilton was part of the UT family for about 20 years...20 years!! To see he was an "outsider" is disingenuous at best. An Outsider, who fits the bill of the modern AD may be exactly what we need to take UT to the top of the NCAA once again and might just have a vision of how to get us there, and keep us there - a proactive, forward thinking AD, not one stuck in the past