My sentimental choice is still RUOwls, but I'm just not sure how easy a sell that would be to the decision makers. Then again, given the track record of the decision makers, maybe it is time not to trust their judgement.

Looking back, Rice has had better success with defensive guys (Fred, Bailiff) than with offensive gurus (Rice, Brown, Berndt, Bloomgren).

I prefer a defensive guy who will hire an offensive coordinator with a unique scheme--Fred and Dinger being my ideal model, and I suppose Bailiff had that with Mensa. I like Arnett (just like Grinch in 2015) because he is a highly-regarded DC who can tap into the Leach coaching tree for an OC. Philosophically, I like someone who would combine Fred's and Ken's philosophies--Play sound defense, win the kicking game, and do something better or different on offense.

Strong academics would be another. Arnett has not coached at an "academic" school, but he was four-time academic all-conference as a player and academic all-American his senior year, in a non-jock major (History), which means that on some level he clearly values academics.

Strong recruiting connections with HS coaches in Texas and surrounding states would be another requirement. One reservation I have about Arnett is I'm not sure how strong his Texas connections are (unlike Grinch who had recruited Texas while at Mizzou), but he is from Albuquerque and played at New Mexico, which would suggest he knows some people in west Texas at least. And if he picks an OC off the Leach tree, that OC is very likely to be someone from TT which strengthens the Texas connections.