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Ben McCollum addresses rumors connecting him to potential blue blood jobs

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz03/27/26NickSchultz_7

While leading Iowa to its first Elite Eight appearance in nearly 40 years, rumors have swirled on social media about whether Ben McCollum’s name could come up in the coaching carousel. Speaking with reporters Friday, he addressed the chatter about potential blue blood jobs.

McCollum is in the midst of an impressive debut season at Iowa while helping the Hawkeyes reach the Elite Eight for the fifth time in program history. With Thursday’s victory over Nebraska in the Sweet Sixteen, the Hawkeyes secured a spot in the regional final for the first time since 1987.

As a result, McCollum’s name is heating up, given his achievements at the Division II level and last year at Drake. However, McCollum said any such speculation isn’t true.

“Whatever those are, somebody – I think James [Allen] warned me,” McCollum said. “Yeah, those are all lies. The only person that would ever know would be … my athletic director, my wife, and that’s about it.”

Ben McCollum’s coaching resume

Across both Division I and II, Ben McCollum has a career 450-107 overall record. The majority of those wins came at Northwest Missouri State, where he led his alma mater to four D-II national championships and 12 conference titles from 2009-24. That’s when he got the call to replace Darian DeVries at Drake, and he immediately found success.

The Bulldogs went 31-4 in 2024-25, including 17-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play, to win Arch Madness and clinch another NCAA Tournament berth. Drake then took down Missouri in the first round of March Madness before falling to Texas Tech in the Round of 32.

From there, Iowa called, and it’s been another strong season for McCollum. The Hawkeyes went into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed after a 21-12 record during the regular season, including a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play. After defeating Clemson in the first round of March Madness, Iowa pulled off the upset of the tournament by taking down Florida in the Round of 32.

That set up another showdown with rival Nebraska. The Hawkeyes rallied to get the win Thursday and punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.

Another Big Ten opponent awaits Iowa in the Elite Eight, though. Illinois will be waiting Saturday night after taking down Houston in the Sweet Sixteen of the South Regional. Tip-off between the Hawkeyes and Fighting Illini is set for Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET.