Southern Utah Thunderbirds Hire Todd Simon As Next Head Coach

According to a report from Jon Rothstein of CBSSports, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds have found the program's next head coach in UNLV interim head coach Todd Simon. The program let go of head coach Nick Robinson a few weeks ago after another underwhelming season and will hope that Simon can be the difference maker.

Despite getting the job, Simon doesn't necessarily have a long history as a head coach. He served as an assistant coach at UNLV for two seasons before serving as interim coach this season when Dave Rice resigned from the job. The Runnin' Rebels went 9-1 with Simon at the helm, but ended the season at just 18-15 overall.

Nonetheless, Simon has plenty of potential for success as a head coach due to his abilities on the recruiting trail. He was considered to be one of UNLV's best recruiters over the last few years and had a major impact on the program's impressive 2015 recruiting class. Notably, UNLV's 2015 recruiting class included two ESPN100 prospects and was highlighted by five-star Stephen Zimmerman.

Of course, even with Simon's potential on the recruiting trail, he will have his work cut out. Southern Utah had an overall record of just 6-24 this season, a No. 340 rating on KenPom, and won just one of the team's final 13 games. This also isn't a recent trend either, as the Thunderbirds haven't had a winning record since 2006-07.

Simon will have a tough job ahead, but if his recruiting indicates anything about his long-term potential, perhaps a turnaround for Southern Utah won't be too far out.