The Iowa Hawkeyes just won the coaching carousel.
Ben McCollum, 43, is finalizing a deal to become Iowa's next head coach, per David Eickholt of 247 Sports. He will replace the outgoing Fran McCaffrey, who spent 15 seasons on the Hawkeyes sideline.
Sources: Iowa in process of finalizing a deal with Drake head coach Ben McCollum: https://t.co/9jWfQg6x3g
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) March 23, 2025
This is an incredible move for Iowa in what has already been a whirlwind March for coaching hires. Darian DeVries landed in Indiana and Ryan Odom went to Virginia. Both feel like meaningful hires. McCollum, however, was easily the best coach expected to change schools this spring. He leaves Drake after a single season, which resulted in 31 wins, a Missouri Valley Conference title, and an upset win over Missouri in the NCAA Tournament.
McCollum arrives in Iowa City, his hometown, with a sterling reputation on the X's and O's front. He coached circles around Mizzou in the first round and gave Texas Tech a nice push, despite a significant disadvantage in terms of overall talent and athleticism.
Iowa finished this season 17-16 with a 7-13 record in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes did not beat a single ranked opponent. McCaffrey earned his flowers over the years, but it was time to move on. McCollum brings fresh blood and a fresh perspective. Now, the hope is that he can bring a star point guard via the transfer portal.
Ben McCollum should do everything in his power to bring Bennett Stirtz to Iowa
One thing about Ben McCollum is that he will run his starters until the wheels fall off, which never happened much at Drake. Perhaps the best example is Bennett Stirtz, the Bulldogs' star point guard who averaged 39.3 minutes per game this season. He was the lifeblood of Drake's offense — the executor of McCollum's scheme and the reason the Bulldogs cruised through the MVC.
Stirtz didn't get many opportunities to face top-shelf competition this season, but he aced the Missouri test and more than held his own against Texas Tech. Now comes a chance for Stirtz to join his longtime head coach at a Power Five school. Drake is a stone's throw away from Iowa City in Des Moines. Stirtz followed McCollum from D-II Northwest Missouri State, where McCollum won four D-II national championships. Why not keep a good thing going?
The only thing standing in the way of Stirtz joining the Hawkeyes is the NBA Draft. Stirtz is currently the 28th-ranked prospect here at FanSided. He is mostly considered a second-round pick, but a strong NCAA Tournament showing undoubtedly boosts his stock. It now becomes a question of whether or not Stirtz is comfortable with his NBA outlook right now, or if he'd prefer to return to school and put up tape on a much larger stage at Iowa.
There's a good chance he opts for the latter, especially with NIL factoring into the equation. Stirtz has definite athletic limitations, but he was absurdly efficient in all areas for Drake. He's a pick-and-roll proficient who expertly mixes dribble cadences and rifles to create live-dribble passes. He doesn't project as a plus defender in the NBA, but if he levels up to the Big Ten and tightens the screws on his few weaknesses, there are decent odds in favor of Stirtz emerging as a first-round pick in 2026.
McCollum might need to change his rotation strategies with more talent on his roster and tougher competition in the conference, but Stirtz would presumably log heavy minutes as the offensive focal point of a successful Big Ten program at Iowa. If that doesn't solidify his NBA future, nothing will.