JK would have been the perfect hire in 90's when SWC imploded. A steady, competent, 'incrementalist' hand that could have implemented a similar approach to what TCU did at the time. Unfortunately there was incompetence at the helm back then (and prior) that through a variety of bad moves already discussed ad nauseum on other threads drove things into the ground.

Fast forward to the 2010's and what is needed at the AD level is a risk taking change-agent willing to blow things up and take bold risks with conference affiliations/independence, bolder coaching hires, buy-in from alums/admin, etc, not an incrementalist/textbook AD type. So I don't really blame JK for this. He is what he is. A smart, data driven, AD type that is going to run a textbook AD gameplan for what Rice needed back in-the-day but not for what it needs now. While hiring Pera was a bad knee-jerk in the moment thing and Bloom was one of his Stanford guy hires, I don't think that is JK's biggest mistakes. It has been the inability to find a solution to C-USA. I think he could find eight-figures from folks to a better lot in life whether that is SWC old schedule as independent or to AAC/MWC. That would lead to better recruits, exposure, and relevance vs. the empty stadiums of USM games like today.

As things have slowly melted over-the-decades as the macro landscape changed and micro execution in high profile sports has not improved (regressed?), more risk is needed to be taken to be relevant. At current course/speed, the inevitable conclusion will be big sport bankruptcy.

JK's current playbook is the right one for Northwestern, Stanford, Vandy, etc. but don't think it will work at Rice. Too much damage has been done prior to his watch and more radical changes are needed. Not sure he is the guy to do that as he is a professional AD type that is likely to find an escape hatch to optimize his own career vs. do something with more risk (and potential failure) attached to his name. And he will be long gone before Rice declares Chapter 11 in the big sports.

This is a BoT/Leebron thing, not a JK thing.