On Thursday, May 28, Bowling Green State University and head coach Todd Simon came to an agreement on a contract extension in a deal that would keep Simon in BG through the 2030 season.  

Locking down Simon is a huge move for the Falcons, with Simon having the most wins for a BGSU head coach in his first three seasons in the programs Mid-American Conference (MAC) era at 52 wins. This includes a 20-win first season that saw the Falcons win their first tournament game since the 2018-2019 season.  

With only one season under .500 and never missing the conference tournament, Simon and the Falcons can build upon these first three years and are poised to make big steps in the future.  

Over his three seasons with the Falcons, Simon has brought in some solid pieces through the portal and recently has stepped up his game with high school recruiting.

With incoming freshman KJ Torbert, the Mr. Basketball of Michigan, a high-ranking center out of Kentucky in Geu “Leek” Ateny, and the eighth best point guard out of South Carolia in Talan Staley — Simon has plenty of high upside talent coming to the roster.  

Where he really shines is finding Division II and JUCO players to blossom into key contributors while at BG. Most recently Javontae Campbell won Defensive Player of the Year and broke the BG single season steals record in back-to-back seasons.  

Former players Marcus Hill and DaJion Humphrey both came to BG after playing for community college programs and made an instant impact with the Falcons.

Upcoming players Trey Simmons and Zach Howell both at the Division II level and are looking to have that same type of immediate impact on the court for BGSU.  

Simon has also gotten power five players to bolster the roster with the Falcons. Last season Javon Ruffin, from Colorado, and Justin Thomas, from Florida State, both became integral pieces in the lineup for the Falcons.  

There is some room for concern with the extension though, with an overall tournament record of 11-9, 9-6 with Southern Utah and 2-3 with Bowling Green, coach Simon has never won a post season conference tournament.  

To go along with that in his three seasons, Simon has never finished better than fifth in the MAC. Even during his 20-win season in 2023-2024, the Falcons sat fifth in the MAC standings by years end.

Post season success is a big part of what defines many coaching tenures and for Simon and BGSU that has been an area that has plagued them since their last conference tournament win during the 2023-24 season.

You can get all the recruits you want, but a coach will always be judged by his postseason success, and Simon will have to overcome his postseason hurdles.