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Ben McCollum officially announced as new head coach at Iowa

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Ben McCollum is officially making the move to Iowa City after a successful NCAA Tournament run for Drake.

Originally reported after Drake’s exit from March Madness, Iowa confirmed the hiring of McCollum on Monday. He steps in to replace Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons leading the Hawkeyes.

McCollum is an Iowa native who returned to the state via the head coaching job at Drake ahead of last season. In his lone year leading the Bulldogs, McCollum led the program to an NCAA Tournament upset of Mizzou before losing to Texas Tech in the Round of 32.

“Returning to Iowa City as the head coach of the Hawkeyes is a dream come true for me and my family. The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched, and I am incredibly excited to get started on this new journey together,” said McCollum via a statement. “I am thankful to so many people who have been part of my journey, especially Michelle, Peyton, Tate and Grace.”

Prior to returning to the state of Iowa, McCollum spent 15 seasons with D-II Northwest Missouri State. In that time, McCollum led the Bearcats to an overall record of 395-91 with 4 D-II national championships.

In 16 total seasons coaching, McCollum has won 13 regular season conference championships and 9 conference tournament titles, including this past season with Drake sweeping the Missouri Valley Conference. Now, he’ll get his chance in the Big Ten to revamp the Hawkeyes.

Iowa last made the Big Dance in 2023, but sustained success in the NCAA Tournament has eluded the Hawkeyes. They have not been back to the Sweet 16 since 1999.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.