Iowa locked up Ben McCollum and its status as a contender in one fell swoop

Iowa Men's Basketball got some more great news after reports surfaced that Ben McCollum was close to a new contract extension.

The reports surfaced earlier last week, but he had not officially signed a deal.

McCollum had a spectacular first season, and even though the program finished in ninth place in the Big Ten Conference, it was a successful season.

Propelled by star guard Bennett Stirtz, the Hawkeyes finished with a 24-13 (10-10 Big Ten), but stumbled down the stretch.

Iowa lost eight of its final 10 games at the end of the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament, but persevered. The squad surprisingly made it all the way to the Elite Eight, largely thanks to the wizardry of McCollum.

McCollum officially signed a new contract extension through 2031-2032

Very early into the offseason, the program wants to keep the momentum going by locking up the best guy for the job.

Rejoice, Hawkeye fans, McCollum has officially signed a new contract extension!

It was never really in doubt, but now we know that he has officially put pen to paper, we can all let out a collective sigh of relief.

McCollum is set to make $1 million more per year (before bonuses), beginning at $4.35 million in the first year and increasing to $4.85 million in the final year.

McCollum's future with the program was never in doubt, but after he was linked to the North Carolina head coaching vacancy, it was good to see him quickly shut down those talks.

After UNC fired Hubert Davis, one of the top head coaching jobs in men's college basketball was available, and the program wanted McCollum for the job. They reportedly reached out, but he immediately declined a chance to interview.

Any future mystery surrounding his status has been temporarily put to rest, and the Hawkeyes can now focus on improving on an up-and-down first-year under McCollum last season.

Iowa is fully positioned as a contender with McCollum at the helm

What McCollum did in year one is something Iowa fans haven't seen since the legendary Tom Davis in the 1980s.

What McCollum accomplished isn't a fluke, because he is a proven winner wherever he has gone. He has a championship pedigree from his time with Division II Northwest Missouri State, where he won four Division II National Championships.

In his only season at Drake during the 2024-2025 season, McCollum led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament and their first Tournament victory since the 1970s.

In one season with the Hawkeyes after rebuilding the entire coaching staff and the roster in a few months, he guided them to the Elite Eight, something the previous staff never did.

McCollum's hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach resonated with his players last season, and they were ready to go to war for him every game.

The program is in a great spot not only because McCollum is on board for multiple years, but also because the roster only lost three players from last season and added more talent.

The program added Ty'Reek Coleman and Andrew McKeever from the transfer portal, and Jaidyn Coon and Ethan Harris in the 2026 recruiting class, while only losing Bennett Stirtz (graduation), Brendan Hausen (graduation), and Alvaro Folgueiras (transfer).

The foundation has already been set, and now in year two, Iowa is perfectly set up for success next season and for many years in the future.

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