West Virginia or Iowa? Fran Fraschilla Weighs In on Which is the Better Job for Darian DeVries

Can West Virginia hang on to its promising young head coach?

Mar 4, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries watches the play against the Utah Utes during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Since the Iowa Hawkeyes made the decision to part ways with Fran McCaffrey, West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries has been heavily mentioned as a possible target to fill the vacancy.

DeVries is an Iowa native, and his brother, Jared, played football for the Hawkeyes before going on to have a successful career in the NFL. The ties are there, but if Iowa were to pry DeVries out of Morgantown, it's going to come at a pricey cost.

ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla weighed in on the situation and believes the best thing for DeVries would be to stay put at West Virginia.

"I try not to get it into who has better jobs, but in this case, West Virginia is (if not a sleeping giant) a better job than Iowa right now, in my opinion," Fraschilla posted on X. "The team is the state’s pro basketball team & fan support is awesome. They have great NIL and great facilities. And the governor has your back. The leagues are similar, of course. I’m hoping that the Mountaineers do not need another coach for a while."

If DeVries were to leave, West Virginia would be looking for its fourth coach in as many years. Hall of Famer Bob Huggins resigned from the position in the summer of 2023; Josh Eilert had a one-year stint as the interim, which was followed up by this past season with DeVries.

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