Ben McCollum to Iowa is Now a Done Deal: Who Remains on the Board for West Virginia?

An updated look at who West Virginia is targeting in its coaching search.

Mar 22, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Drake Bulldogs coach Ben McCollum during press conference at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One of West Virginia's top head coaching candidates, Ben McCollum, is officially off the board.

There were some conflicting reports on Sunday by local reporters who cover the Iowa Hawkeyes for 247 Sports and The Des Moines Register in regards to McCollum "finalizing a deal" with Iowa. Monday morning, Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello of ESPN reported that the two sides are now in agreement on a deal.

Sources: Iowa has agreed to a deal to make Drake coach Ben McCollum the school’s next coach, per me and ⁦@jeffborzello⁩. He won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State prior to leading Drake (31-4) to the NCAA Tournament in his lone season there. pic.twitter.com/UPjLeiQ8Um
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 24, 2025

In his lone season as the head coach at Drake, McCollum led the Bulldogs to a 31-4 record and a first-round upset win in the NCAA Tournament over No. 6 seed Missouri. Before making the jump to the mid-major level, McCollum was an extremely successful Division II coach at Northwest Missouri State, winning four national championships. There, he worked for Wren Baker, who is now the athletic director at West Virginia.

With McCollum officially out of the mix, look for West Virginia to turn its focus to Utah State's Jared Calhoun, Colorado State's Niko Medved, and a couple of others. A decision is likely to come in the next two to three days.

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