Chris Collins was on the hot seat in the not-so-distant past. Now, the head coach at Northwestern is cashing in on a fantastic turnaround with a long-term extension.

On Monday, the program officially announced an extension to keep Collins with the Wildcats through the 2027-28 season. It was originally reported Thursday that the two sides were working on an agreement with Colins’ previous deal set to expire following the 2024-25 season.

“It has been an honor to be the Head Coach at Northwestern University for the last 10 years. The Northwestern community has become our family’s home, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey,” said Collins via Northwestern’s official press release. “I am thankful to President Schill and Dr. Gragg for showing the confidence in me to continue to lead Northwestern Basketball. It’s a responsibility that I love and embrace. To have the opportunity to be a part of accomplishing so many firsts in the history of the basketball program during my tenure has been special, and I can’t wait to get to work to pursue more amazing moments in the future.”

After a 5-year drought without making the NCAA Tournament, Collins led the Wildcats to a 22-12 overall record and 12-8 performance in B1G play, finishing second in the regular-season conference standings. Those 12 conference wins are the most by Northwestern in a single season in program history.

While the Wildcats eventually fell to UCLA in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament, Northwestern was competitive in nearly every game a season ago. The program won 5 games in a row 3 times during the season, including a February stretch with top-15 upsets over Purdue and Indiana.