Iowa working on contract extension for basketball coach Ben McCollum

IOWA CITY — Iowa is working with men’s basketball head coach Ben McCollum on a contract extension, director of athletics Beth Goetz said April 7.

McCollum, who signed a six-year contract with Iowa in 2025, had a successful first season at the helm, guiding the Hawkeyes to the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 1987.

“Ben and I have been in close contact throughout the (NCAA) tournament and feel like we’re certainly going to make some adjustments to his agreement," Goetz said. "And so, we’ll have that done here soon and feel really good about where we are.”

Asked if that would include an increase in years and/or money, Goetz reponded:

“Yes. That would be the answer to both of those questions.”

She added: “As soon as we get that to a point where we’re obviously ready to execute it, it’ll be public. But we feel like we’re in a really great place. He had a heck of a season and I think it certainly makes sense that we would look to make sure we can continue to help him build a championship culture here at Iowa.”

Iowa made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023 before knocking off 8-seed Clemson, 1-seed Florida and 4-seed Nebraska en route to the Elite Eight. The Hawkeyes' thrilling NCAA Tournament run came up one step short of the Final Four when they lost to Illinois.

Iowa finished with 24 wins, the program's most since the 2021-22 season.

The Hawkeyes' success has spurred optimism for the future of the program.

"I'm obviously very proud of the foundation that they've built,” McCollum said after the loss to Illinois. “I think right afterwards you're always disappointed. You wanted to win that game. But certainly understand what they've done for the University of Iowa, what they've done for this foundation, how much they've sacrificed for it, and then, obviously, to get them to this point, to an Elite Eight."

McCollum's current contract with the University of Iowa runs through April 30, 2031. McCollum’s annual compensation (excluding incentives) began at $3.35 million in year one and is set to rise to $4.1 million in the final year. According to the offer letter, McCollum is set to receive a $150,000 bonus for reaching the Elite Eight.

McCollum’s coaching prowess has been acknowledged on a national scale.

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, the University of North Carolina wanted to conduct an in-person interview for its head-coaching vacancy, but McCollum turned down the offer. North Carolina is widely viewed as one of the top jobs in college basketball, and the fact that McCollum didn’t even go through with a formal interview speaks to his commitment to the University of Iowa.

McCollum spent 15 seasons as the head coach at Northwest Missouri State, where he won four national championships, before making the jump to the Division I level at Drake. McCollum, who was born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake, took the job at Iowa in 2025 after going 31-4 in his lone season with the Bulldogs.

McCollum turns 45 on April 12.

Last season was McCollum’s first coaching at the power-conference level and second overall at the Division I level. He has made the NCAA Tournament in each of his two seasons as a Division I head coach.

The Hawkeyes are definitely losing Bennett Stirtz and Brendan Hausen from last season's Elite Eight roster. Stirtz will be a significant departure.

Meanwhile, Tavion Banks' future is unclear. Banks, who went through senior day at Iowa, played four seasons of college basketball. But because he spent two of those at the junior-college level, the door isn't closed on the possibility of him being granted more eligibility.

Outside of those three, all other players from last season's roster have the potential to return, including a young nucleus of Cooper Koch, Tate Sage, Trey Thompson and Trevin Jirak. The Hawkeyes also have two four-star prospects in their 2026 high school recruiting class — Ethan Harris and Jaidyn Coon.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa working on contract extension for basketball coach Ben McCollum