Ben McCollum has spent his entire coaching life building something out of nothing—quietly, methodically, and with remarkable success. Now, he brings that quiet fire to one of college basketball’s brightest stages.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are turning the page after 15 seasons, handing the program to a man who didn’t just win at every level he touched—he transformed it. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello, McCollum will be named the next head coach of Iowa men’s basketball, leaving Drake University after just one season.
And what a season it was.
McCollum Led Drake to Historic Heights in One Season
McCollum led Drake to a 31–4 record, a Missouri Valley Conference title, and an opening-round upset of Missouri in the NCAA tournament. It was a Cinderella run led not by stars of the transfer portal but by familiar faces—former Division II players who followed their coach to the next level and proved they belonged.
At the heart of that group was Bennett Stirtz, a junior guard and the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. He averaged more than 19 points and nearly six assists per game and, more importantly, carried with him the DNA of what McCollum demands: discipline, selflessness, and belief.
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, 43, isn’t just a coach with a good record. He’s an architect of dynasties. Before his stop in Des Moines, he spent 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State, a Division II powerhouse he turned into a perennial title contender. After a rocky start—22 wins in his first two years—McCollum’s program caught fire. Over the next 13 seasons, the Bearcats never finished with a losing record and captured four national championships: 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. They made the tournament every year from 2014 to 2024.
He didn’t just win. He won with a system.
This past season at Drake, that system took shape again. The Bulldogs played the slowest pace in the nation, ranked last in KenPom’s adjusted tempo metrics. Yet they allowed just 58.4 points per game—second only to No. 1 seed Houston. In an era of pace-and-space chaos, McCollum brought back control, defensive pride, and execution.
And now, he brings it to Iowa City.
Iowa in The State of Transition
The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, were in need of a new direction. Fran McCaffery leaves behind a legacy defined by scoring prowess but postseason frustration. Over 15 seasons, he led Iowa to seven NCAA tournament appearances yet never broke through to the second weekend. The final years saw a dip in production, with the Hawkeyes failing to reach 20 wins in each of the past three campaigns.
Ben McCollum is the new Head Coach at Iowa
"WE GOT OUR GUY" ~ @tyschmit #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/etmkvZUwpW
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 24, 2025
Enter McCollum, a man who doesn’t shout from the sidelines but whispers confidence in every detail.
In many ways, his hiring represents a shift in philosophy. Iowa has chosen process over flash, patience over promise. They’ve entrusted the future of their program to a coach who molded excellence in Maryville and then confirmed it on a bigger stage in Des Moines. Now, he’ll do it again in the Big Ten.
There will be questions—about recruiting, about style, about whether a defensive-minded, tempo-controlling system can thrive in a league known for its bruising battles and fast breaks.
But if Ben McCollum has shown anything, it’s that success follows structure, and belief follows results. The journey from Division II to a Power Four job wasn’t accidental—it was inevitable.
Now, he walks into Carver-Hawkeye Arena not just as the next coach, but as the next chapter in a program eager for something more.
