The biggest plus to the separate UT/UTAD setup is that the UTAD does not use any state funding. If they were placed under the UT umbrella, then the state would bear at least some financial responsibility, and that’s not something the state will want to take up in the middle of a budget crunch. If anything, that should make it harder for UT to incorporate the UTAD.

Also, I don’t think a new president will have any impact on Hamilton’s job. We were already saying that if Kiffin fails, then Hamilton’s gone. That will remain unchanged. If Kiffin succeeds (and his standard is contention for NCs, or actually winning those things), then nobody will be able to remove them from their positions anyhow. Even if Petersen were still in office, that’d be true.

However, a new president can make life difficult in the UTAD through things like increased parking lot fees, facility fees, and other relational structure changes.