Drake men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum announced on March 25 that he has signed to the University of Iowa Hawkeye program after a single season as a Bulldog. 

After replacing the new University of Indiana coach and former West Virginia coach Darian DeVries, McCollum was welcomed to Drake for one of the most significant college seasons for the NCAA DI 2024-25 season.

McCollum will return to his hometown of Iowa City to coach in the Big Ten and rebuild the program after the dismissal of Coach Fran McCaffery. McCaffery led the Hawkeye program for 15 seasons and had missed the NCAA tournament for a second year in a row before  being let go. Because of the sudden change following the cut, native Iowan McCollum was on the Hawkeyes’ radar after his 31-4 season.

Drake will spend the offseason rebuilding its program through player recruitment and searching for a new head coach who can fill the shoes of the most successful coach that Drake has ever fostered. McCollum coached the Bulldogs 31-3 season, the best record in program history, along with leading the Bulldogs to become the first team in the nation to achieve 30 wins for the season, beating out Duke, Auburn, the University of Florida and many of the AP-ranked teams across the U.S.