Potential Otzelberger replacements as UNLV eyes another coaching search

Though there have been no reports of T.J. Otzelberger being offered and accepting the Iowa State job, the momentum toward a deal seems unstoppable at this point.If he does depart, Otzelberger will be leaving UNLV sooner than anyone expected, but athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois is unlikely to be caught off guard in launching the school’s next coaching search.Reed-Francois maintains a list of coaches (in all sports) who catch her attention and show potential in some way or another. A few years ago, Otzelberger was on that list because Reed-Francois caught one of South Dakota State’s games on television and liked the way his Jackrabbits played. So there’s a good chance Otzelberger’s replacement is already on her list, too.That doesn’t mean UNLV’s coaching search would be as quick as Iowa State’s, which lasted less than 24 hours before the Cyclones began zeroing in on Otzelberger. Reed-Francois seems likely to go the “official” route, which includes hiring a search firm, vetting multiple candidates and interviewing finalists before making the choice.But there’s a decent chance that when that process plays out to the end, UNLV’s next head basketball coach will be someone Reed-Francois already has on her list.Since I don’t have access to her actual list, here’s a guesstimate of potential candidates:Todd Simon, Southern Utah head coachSimon has emerged as one of the early favorites of the fan base. He is well known locally, both from his time as the head coach at Findlay Prep and from his three years as an assistant at UNLV under head coach Dave Rice, and when Rice was fired midseason in 2015-16 it was Simon who got the nod as interim head coach.Simon was regarded as an ace recruiter during his time at UNLV, and he has certainly proved his Division I coaching chops over the past five years as he led Southern Utah from a 6-24 record the season before he arrived to a 20-4 mark this year and a regular-season Big Sky championship. The Thunderbirds have posted a better record each season under his watch.