By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa -You never say never, but it’s hard to see Ben McCollum leaving anytime soon from what he already has built as the Iowa men’s basketball coach.

McCollum has been the head Hawk for barely one year, and what a year it has been with Iowa having made the NCAA Elite for the first time in 1987.

He is as popular as Taylor Swift and he might as well have a life-time contract, given how much job security he has right now.

McCollum accomplished in his first season what the three previous Iowa head coaches failed to do over 24 seasons combined at Iowa, which is advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Todd Lickliter didn’t even have a winning season in his three seasons as the Iowa head coach from 2007-10.

The 44-year-old McCollum has won consistently throughout his coaching career; first at Division II Northwest Missouri State where he won four national titles over 14 seasons, then for one season at Drake, and now for one season at Iowa, and with more almost certainly to come.

McCollum’s name has been mentioned for the North Carolina job, which is a nice compliment, and also shows what winning three games in the NCAA Tournament can do for your reputation, and for your leverage.

The North Carolina job, with all of its perks and tradition, has long been considered one of the top destination jobs in men’s college basketball, the ultimate blue-blood program where achieving greatness is the standard.

But is it a better job for Ben McCollum at this stage in his career than the Iowa job?

At the risk of sounding like a delusional homer, no it isn’t.

McCollum already has shown what can be accomplished at Iowa, and he did so with a roster built almost from the ground up, with little expectations, and with limited NIL resources.

That’s why he’s being mentioned for the North Carolina job by members of the national media, including ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Some might say that it’s only stating the obvious to say that McCollum won’t leave Iowa, but his name keeps being mentioned by some prominent members of the media, who usually have inside knowledge about these kinds of things.

However, for it to go beyond just having his name mentioned would be a surprise and here’s why: McCollum, in addition to having $4 million buyout, already has moved twice in slightly more than two years, and just the move from Northwest Missouri State to Drake in 2024 had him wondering if he had made the right decision by uprooting his family.

There is something to be said for stability and continuity, and McCollum had plenty of both at Northwest Missouri State, as did his family.

But after 14 years in Maryville, Missouri, it was time for McCollum to spread his wings and start coaching on a bigger stage, so he took the Drake job, probably not thinking he would leave after just one season.

Drake then finished 31-4 in 2024-25, and with that success, McCollum after just one season had suddenly outgrown what Drake could offer him.

Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz then wasted no time in hiring McCollum to replace Fran McCaffery, who was fired as the Iowa head coach the day after the 2024-25 season ended.

At his introductory press conference, McCollum talked about growing up in Storm Lake and dreaming of being an Iowa basketball player. He also talked about helping the men’s basketball program re-connect with the Iowa fans, and with the entire state.

McCollum talked as if Iowa was his destination job, a place where he and his family could thrive for the foreseeable future.

And he seemed sincere.

It’s also important to remember that McCollum was born in Iowa City in 1981. He is the first Iowa men’s basketball coach since Dick Schultz in the early 1970s to be from the state of Iowa.

This isn’t to suggest that the Iowa job is better than the North Carolina job, or better than any other other blue-blood coaching position for that matter.

But for McCollum, Iowa might be a better job as he seems to be the perfect fit, and vice versa.

McCollum said shortly after losing to Illinois in the Elite Eight that he plans on staying at Iowa.

Coaches don’t always follow through on promises to stay, but in this case, it’s easy to believe McCollum because of the circumstances.

Kirk Ferentz has stayed put for going on 28 seasons as the Iowa football coach despite having multiple chances to coach elsewhere, and probably for more money.

Ferentz decided at some point that Iowa was his destination job.

It’s unlikely that McCollum would spend nearly three decades as the Iowa men’s basketball coach. But it’s even more unlikely that he would leave after just one season, even for the North Carolina job.

And while there will always be pressure to win at Iowa, it pales in comparison to the pressure to win at a blue-blood program where if you don’t consistently make deep runs in March Madness, your job will be on the line, sooner than later.

McCollum already has made a deep run at Iowa, where deep runs are about as common as an appearance by Halley’s Comet.

He will almost certainly be given a contract extension and more money, probably sooner than later, because that is just the cost of doing business.

Iowa also has to make sure that its NIL contributions don’t fall behind, because even the best coaches would struggle if their team isn’t funded well enough.

If McCollum were to keep winning at Iowa, his name would continue to be mentioned for other jobs because that’s just how it works.

There might come a time when McCollum decides that he is ready for another challenge, and he might even listen right now if North Carolina were to come calling.

It never hurts to listen, and it would also remind UI officials that they have a head coach that is gaining in popularity.

So maybe there will be a blue-blood program that ultimately convinces McCollum to leave Iowa.

But this just isn’t the right time.