Kirby H. did what he was told to do.
EXACTLY
And that made him a weak AD. He did not have the maturity to chart a course and make a case for it with upper-level administration. He was a complete doofus, and did irreparable harm to OHIO.
For a doofus, he's done quite well. I was president of the Green and White Club when Kirby was here and found him to be communicative and above board in all of our dealings. He actually called me when I was in Dallas as a courtesy to let me know about the impending program cuts before they happened.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_HocuttAs I said earlier, he's the poster child for the Peter Principle.
I don't get how you see Hocutt as a poster child for the Peter Principle. The Peter Principle says that employees seem to move up the hierarchical ladder until they reach a position that is higher than their competence level after success at a lower level. It does not mean that someone continues to be elevated once they hit that level of incompetence. Their promotions stop once they hit that level of incompetence.
Kirby has been promoted continuously, starting first as AD here at OHIO and then (though same title, much larger budget) AD at Miami (FL), and now AD for more than a decade at Texas Tech. He has held a number of high positions in national committees as well. I'd say he continues to be promoted, so, according to the decision-makers, he has yet to hit his level of incompetence.