Very deserving, he made some great (and not so great) hires and helped get us where we are today.(PAC 12)
We were fortunate to have an AD who was devoted to Utah and made his long career here. He took the long view on issues and kept the athletic department in the black for the most part.
Now we have a more typical AD who has no prior ties to Utah and most likely will be here for several years and then he will continue his move upward. As most AD’s do, he will burn money to make a big splash, play the short game, and position himself for bigger and better things. It is just the new normal for us. Hopefully, we do not fall too far into the red. (Wait, maybe the red is where we Ute fans want to be!) 
Chris’s recognition is well deserved. Not many AD’s get to the level of tenure he got to at any University. Almost none have had to re-engineer an Athletics Department to an across the board step up in competition.
He did it. Good job.