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The Iowa basketball program filled its open head coaching vacancy this offseason with a popular name on big boards. Ben McCollum will take over for the Hawkeyes after spending a season at Drake.
McCollum received plenty of interest from outside suitors as he attempted to guide the Bulldogs on an NCAA Tournament run. He blocked out that noise, according to his former athletic director, in order to keep the focus on his team.
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McCollum just wrapped up his first season as a Division I head coach. He posted a 31-4 mark with Drake and knocked off Missouri in the first round of the Big Dance. His inaugural campaign came to an end in the Round of 32 with a loss to Texas Tech.
Prior to that brief stint in Iowa, he coached at the Division II level where he won four national championships with Northwest Missouri State. Now, he’ll take a swing in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes introduced Ben McCollum as head coach on Monday. He’ll look to lead the program to its first NCAA Tournament since 2023.
Iowa was forced to wait on Drake’s season to end before landing its target. Bulldogs Athletic director Brian Hardin spoke on the process this week.
Ben McCollum rejected tampering suitors during March Madness.
Despite receiving interest while still coaching in-season, the head coach refused to speak to schools while Drake was playing in the Big Dance.
This is well worth your time. Brian Hardin with the full timeline of what’s happened over the last 24 hours. Not often do you see this much transparency from a D1 athletic director.
Talks about the initial report of a deal being finalized Sunday morning to when the official… pic.twitter.com/b6WHLV590X
— Jeff Dubrof KCCI (@JeffDubrofKCCI) March 24, 2025
“[McCollum] was very clear with me, with his agent, and with other athletic directors about when he’d be willing to talk and when he wouldn’t be,” Hardin recalled. “There was a clear example where there was a school in the hiring process that wanted to meet with him in person while we were in St. Louis during March Madness.
“He said, ‘No.’ He was there to coach his Drake team. His agent said, ‘You may lose this job over it.’ And he did.”
Ben McCollum turned down a job opportunity in order to continue coaching the Bulldogs. The focus was always on his squad.
After the year ended, Hardin met with McCollum to make his pitch to stay. He reportedly offered a deal that would’ve been historic for the program.
I just spoke with Drake AD Brian Hardin, who told me the timeline and how it happened. Hardin and coach Ben McCollum met Sunday afternoon, and Hardin offered him a substantial raise, higher than Drake has ever paid a coach.
That deal came with increases in NIL support and other basketball resources. In the end, it wasn’t enough to sway him from taking the Iowa gig.
Ben McCollum will be the next head coach for the Hawkeyes. Drake applauded the leader for the way he handled the process. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs only got one season with McCollum at the helm. The search for his replacement begins now.