Ben McCollum’s first season with the Iowa Hawkeyes was very successful. Coming off a strong season with the Drake Bulldogs, in which he took them to the Round of 32, McCollum made his mark with the Hawkeyes this year, taking the program to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.
The Hawkeyes finished with a 24-13 record. After the season, McCollum didn’t even have to worry about the transfer portal, as most of his team remained intact. This is noteworthy, considering how many good teams are experiencing mass exoduses during the transfer portal window.
Ten players are returning for the 2026-27 season. Cam Manyawu, Kael Combs, Tate Sage, Cooper Koch, Isaia Howard, Trey Thompson, Trevin Jirak, Joey Matteoni, Peyton McCollum, and Jacob Koch are all running it back with the Iowa Hawkeyes next season.
While the core of the Hawkeyes remains intact, McCollum has added a couple of players to the roster through the transfer portal. He landed sophomore big man Andrew McKeever on Saturday.
The 7’3 center averaged 8.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 23.2 minutes in 33 outings with Saint Mary’s this season. 6’2 freshman guard, Illinois State transfer Ty’Reek Coleman has also committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Coleman has three years of eligibility remaining, which makes him a long-term prospect for McCollum and the Hawkeyes.
Ben McCollum Wants to Be with the Iowa Hawkeyes
McCollum is one of the best coaches in college basketball, and has garnered a lot of attention from various programs.
Last month, when asked about his future, McCollum said he plans to stay with the Hawkeyes.
“Yeah, those are all lies,” he said, addressing the rumors. “The only person that would ever know would be — well, three people — would be my athletic director, my wife, and that’s about it. I guess two people.”
Interestingly, last year, when he was with the Drake Bulldogs, McCollum said something similar when asked about the coaching rumors. He ended up leaving Drake for Iowa.
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