Why is that a challenge at an academy?
Lower endowments (like Iowa State), less VERY wealthy alums (like Iowa State), harder academic standards that apply to all incoming students, most students are there for the service profession - not the athletic profession and hence harder to recruit the elite athletes whose first goal is the pros or Olympics.
Despite that Airforce has smoked the other service academies in the Learfield standings lately and was tops in the Mountain West. You can read the bio on improvements he spearheaded. If I recall correctly, he did that before Air Force too.
Everyone was goo-goo ga-ga over San Diego State when they flirted with the PAC due to basketball success, yet Air Force won last year's Mountain West Learfield title handily. (San Diego was second)
We need someone at ISU that 1) can fundraise, 2) is creative 3) understands the importance of staying competitive in Football and Basketball, and 4) understands that the "Olympic" sports are important too (i.e. Wrestling, Soccer, Golf). I think someone like Pine fits that bill.
I am NOT advocating to go get Pine now. I am just saying, we should always have a short list of people like him in case Pollard wins the Megamillions and buys an island in the Bahamas. Such a person might be on staff or an associate at a Big 10/SEC program, but I think our best option is to find someone that has been successful as the boss at a Group of Five level.