Ben McCollum says he will remain at Iowa despite other openings

HOUSTON — With the possibility of multiple high-profile jobs being open this offseason, Iowa coach Ben McCollum said Friday that he will return to the Hawkeyes in 2026-27.

McCollum has earned praise throughout the season, and now that he has led the Hawkeyes to the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years, he has been attached to rumors about openings, including at North Carolina. But McCollum, who is at his third school in three years, rejected that idea.

He said “yes” when he was asked if he intends to be the head coach at Iowa next season during his team’s pregame news conference ahead of Iowa’s matchup against Illinois on Saturday.

“Yeah, those are all lies,” McCollum said about the rumors. “The only person that would ever know would be — well, three people — would be my athletic director, my wife, and that’s about it. I guess two people.”

McCollum has led Iowa to the cusp of its first Final Four appearance since 1980. With star Bennett Stirtz, who was also a standout with McCollum’s teams at Division II Northwest Missouri State and Drake, the Hawkeyes have become the Cinderella story of the NCAA tournament, which has only fueled speculation about McCollum, who is suddenly viewed as one of the game’s best leaders.

It’s becoming a familiar position for McCollum.

Last year, he led 11-seed Drake to a win over 6-seed Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Texas Tech in the second round. During that run, McCollum was asked about potentially accepting a high-major job.

“As far as the rumors, I’ve already taken eight jobs already, so I’m sure, you know, it is what it is,” he said this time last year while he was at Drake. “But it floats around every year and that’s what it is. It comes with success. That’s what happens with success. It’s just one of those things that’s tough, but it is what it is.”

He then left for Iowa.

It’s an interesting time in the sport.

North Carolina, one of the biggest jobs in sports, is open after Hubert Davis was fired this week. Kansas‘ Bill Self has dismissed retirement rumors despite saying he wants to talk to his family about his future. And Houston‘s Kelvin Sampson said, “I won’t stand in anybody’s way” when he asked why he continues to coach in this landscape following his team’s loss to Illinois in Houston on Thursday.

McCollum, who has been compared to Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti — who also rose from outside the Power 4 ranks before winning a national title this year — said he admires Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz, who has been the leader of that program for 27 years.

“I mean, why would I like the coach at Indiana? You know, like, we’re cheering for the Hawkeyes here,” he said. “That’s why. No, Kirk’s obviously, he’s as classy as it gets. He’s done a great job with his entire program of recruiting great kids and great people and created a great culture. So, yeah, anytime you can compare yourself to that, it’s a big deal. But I’m certainly not going to compare myself to somebody from Indiana. No disrespect. He obviously accomplished a lot of good things, and certainly it’s humbling, but I’m a Kirk guy.”