Hell, for all we know behind the scenes the regents might have told her "We'll kinda give half-ass support to your efforts to reach Tier 1, but if you ever field a team that has a chance to recruit a single player that would otherwise go to UT we will pull your funds faster than your track team can run a 4x100"
That would make sense, but it doesn't work that way. Each school in the UT System is in charge of its own money. UT has the most because of higher tuition, more boosters, etc. We all think that the State allocating money is where we are cheated. It is not. Because we are a part of the UT System, we get some, but only a percentage based on our size and a few other details.
There is a spending freeze at UTEP right now, and the State of Texas for that matter. While UTEP and other State funded schools live and die on that, UT & A&M have so much more private money that these freezes don't faze them. Hunt & Foster, along with a few others, is who donates a lot of $$ to UTEP. UT has hundreds of those kinds of donors & with deeper pockets. That is why they can afford the best.
UTEP has to be careful with $$ and assured spending is in property and buildings. The high risk $$ goes to a coaches pockets. Let's say we pay high $ for a great coach. They stay here for a few years, then they are gone to a bigger and higher paying school. That money is gone and we have nothing to show for it except a winning season. Money put into a building stays here for ever. State of the art buildings and materials brings in good programs (Nursing, Education, Engineering, etc.).
We need an AD who knows how to find money to bring in these coaches. Stull found money to restore the press box as well as the workout facility etc. Stull did his job with the facilities and that is why we should be grateful for what the guy did.
Now we need an AD to go after more and NEW $$. He/She will have to sell the donor on an elite program in order to afford a great coach with staff to compliment what Stull built.
Natalicio did bring in money for the centennial celebration. I'm not sure exactly how much she brought in, but I'm thinking over $200mil (I think). She called out all alum with big money and gave them Gold Nugget awards, etc. Some of that went to athletics while the rest went to buildings and the new Pavilion.
Anyway, that is how the money works at UTEP in a nutshell. So, don't pray for an AD that can bring in good coaches. Pray for an AD that has huge ties to BIG $$, because he/she will not bring in winning coaches, the $$ will do that.
