Ben McCollum says he will remain at Iowa despite other openings - ESPN

HOUSTON — With the possibility of multiple high-profile jobs being open this offseason, Iowa head coach Ben McCollum said Friday that he will return to the Hawkeyes in 2026-27.

McCollum has earned praise throughout the season and now that he's led the Hawkeyes to the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years, he's been attached to rumors about openings, including at North Carolina. But McCollum, who is at his third school in three years, rejected that idea.

He said «yes» when he was asked if he intends to be the head coach at Iowa next season during his team's pregame press conference ahead of Iowa's matchup against Illinois on Saturday.

«Yeah, those are all lies,» McCollum said about 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.»

McCollum has led Iowa to the cusp of its first Final Four appearance since 1980. With star Bennett Stirtz, who was also a standout with McCollum's teams at Division II Northwest Missouri State and Drake, the Hawkeyes have become the Cinderella story of the NCAA tournament, which has only fueled speculation about McCollum who is suddenly viewed as one of the game's best leaders.

It's a familiar position for McCollum.

Last year, he led 11-seed Drake to a win over 6-seed Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Texas Tech in the second round. During that run, McCollum was asked about potentially accepting a high-major job.

«As far as the rumors, I've already taken eight jobs already, so I'm sure, you know, it is what it is,» he said this time last year while he was at Drake. «But it floats around every year and that's what it is. It comes with success.