The Iowa men's basketball team has officially agreed to terms with Ben McCollum to become the next head coach for the Hawkeyes. This news comes about a week and a half after the Hawkeyes parted ways with long-time head coach Fran McCaffrey after losing in the Big Ten Tournament and knowing there was no way they were going to make the NCAA Tournament.
The news of McCollum becoming the head coach at Iowa was reported over the weekend after Drake's loss to Texas Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but today it is official.
Sources: Iowa has agreed to a deal to make Drake coach Ben McCollum the school’s next coach, per me and @jeffborzello. He won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State prior to leading Drake (31-4) to the NCAA Tournament in his lone season there. pic.twitter.com/UPjLeiQ8Um
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 24, 2025
McCollum comes to Iowa with a hefty resume, including one season at Drake, where the Bulldogs finished 31-4 with an NCAA Tournament appearance and made it to the second round of the tournament since 1971. McCollum led Drake to a Missouri Valley Conference regular and tournament championship and earned an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs upset 6-seed Missouri in the first round for their first-ever win in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament. However, Drake fell to Texas Tech in the second round, ending their season, and McCollum's time with the Bulldogs.
As an Iowa City native, McCollum is coming home as a Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year award. Before taking the job at Drake last season, McCollum won four Division II Championships with Northwest Missouri State, comprising a 394-91 record in 15 seasons.
McCollum will take over an Iowa program that has missed the NCAA Tournament for the last two seasons and has not made it to the Sweet 16 since 1999. With a slew of players already hitting the transfer portal, McCollum will have his work cut out for him with his new squad, but joining the team the same day that the transfer portal opens is huge as he can get to work right away.