Iowa Point Guard lands Huge Nomination

With the introduction of Ben McCollum to the coaching ranks at Iowa, it wasn’t just a star-studded mind that the Hawkeyes were bringing over from Drake. It was also a talent-loaded roster that McCollum had transferred over to the Big Ten school. In McCollum's first portal class, five of Iowa’s eight transfers were once signed on as Bulldogs, with the biggest name of them all being Bennett Stirtz.

According to recruiting mogul 247Sports, Stirtz was the second-highest transfer in the class of 2025, sitting just behind PJ Haggerty, who committed to Kansas State.

Stirtz was coached by McCollum at McCollum's two previous stops. At Northwest Missouri State, Stirtz was a two-time second-team all-league selection, where he averaged 12.6 points in his freshman year with a remarkable 60.1% field goal rate. As a sophomore, Stirtz averaged 15.2 points per game, having 11 20-point games throughout the season.

When McCoullum made the step up from Northwest Missouri State to Drake, so did Stirtz. The junior did not miss a beat with a phenomenal third year, which saw Stirtz become the first player in MVC history ever to achieve 600 points (673), 200 assists (200) and 70 steals (71) in a season. Stirtz stole the show with a 49.8% field goal rate, as McCollum took the Bulldogs to a 31-4 record and the NCAA Tournament.

CBS Sports writers Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander have been compiling polls from anonymous coaches around the nation on a number of topics as the season approaches. The latest topic revolves around this. “Candid Coaches: Who will be the best college basketball player in 2025-26?”

While Stirtz didn’t take the cake, he did receive an unknown number of votes, and this quote from a coach.

“I think experience matters a lot in college basketball. He has a ton of talent, though he's not the most talented guy, but it is unbelievable the amount of responsibility that was placed on his shoulders at Drake. You watch him play, study their offense, everything — every single play – ran through him. The ball was in his hands as a scorer or playmaker. The kid has this demeanor about him, it doesn't matter who he's playing. Doesn't get sped up. He's almost a genius within that system. He leads the whole charge, never comes out of the game, his durability is incredible.”

This player who transferred twice new head coach Ben McCollum is looking to make himself an Iowa legend — Mar 22, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Drake Bulldogs guard Bennett Stirtz (14) shoots the ball against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Elijah Hawkins (3) and forward JT Toppin (15) during the second half at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Last season, Stirtz played 40 or more minutes 24 times. Stirtz led the nation in minutes per game with an astonishing 39.2 for over 1,377 minutes last season.

Stirtz and Co. will look to make an impact early this season with the highly-rated Hawkeyes set to take on Robert Morris on November 4th.

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