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The West Virginia basketball team received good news on the coaching front in the form of a rejection by Darian DeVries. The head coach just wrapped up his first season with the Mountaineers after spending six years at Drake.
His name had been mentioned in connection to the open Iowa gig this offseason. On Tuesday, that speculation was put to rest. DeVries has reportedly been removed from contention in the Hawkeyes‘ search.
The last few days have been complete chaos for West Virginia. On Selection Sunday, the team was snubbed for the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers were the first team on the outside looking in according to the committee.
Shortly thereafter, an investigation into the NCAA was opened by the state’s governor due to North Carolina’s suspect inclusion in the field. Tar Heels AD Bubba Cunningham received a large bonus when his school made the field. Some believe it directly impacted the Mountaineers.
A day later, the program appeared in danger of losing its head coach. Darian DeVries’ name began trending in the Iowa coaching search. The Hawkeyes decided to move on from Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons. It seems they’ll have to continue searching a bit longer for his replacement.
Darian DeVries is NOT taking the Iowa job.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel stated that the coach is no longer in the running. He also suggested that it was DeVries’ decision, not the Hawkeyes’.
“I think Iowa has been interested in Darian DeVries..
If Darian DeVries does go to Indiana I believe that Ben McCollum would be at the forefront of the Iowa coaching search” ~ @PeteThamel #PMSLive https://t.co/FEO9QVwioW pic.twitter.com/C2rwUNVrDX
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 18, 2025
Iowa wanted DeVries. The feeling wasn’t reciprocated. Money likely played a part.
The buyouts would’ve handcuffed the Hawkeyes a bit. They owe their old coach $4.26 million, which can be paid over 36 months. They’d also owe DeVries over $4.6 million if hired on April 1.
Other factors played a role, too. Former college basketball coach Fran Fraschilla insinuated that West Virginia had more resources, including NIL, to work with. He believes it’s a better job than Iowa.
I try not to get it into who has better jobs but, in this case, West Virginia basketball is (if not a sleeping giant) a better job that Iowa basketball right now in my opinion. The team is the state’s pro basketball team & fan support is awesome. They have great NIL and great facilities. And the governor has your back. The leagues are similar, of course. I’m hoping that the Mountaineers do not need another coach for a while.
-Fran Fraschilla on X
With that being said, the Mountaineers aren’t out of the dark quite yet. Darian DeVries has been linked to another notable Big Ten job, and this one might be worth jumping at.
Indiana is also searching for a new leader. They have more money and a strong basketball pedigree to offer. The Hoosiers were one of the sport’s top spenders in 2024-25. Unfortunately, like the Mountaineers, they were on the outside looking in on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
West Virginia was able to fend off one Big Ten suitor pursuing its head coach. It’ll try to succeed a second time against the Hoosiers. Either way, Darian DeVries will walk away with a bigger NIL bag than he would at Iowa regardless of his future decision.