Storm Lake native Ben McCollum lands six-year Iowa extension after Elite Eight run

Ben McCollum’s rise has become a hometown story with real stakes for Buena Vista County, not just a point of pride. The Storm Lake native turned Iowa’s first Elite Eight trip in 39 years into a six-year contract extension, giving the Hawkeyes a coach whose roots run straight back to northwest Iowa.

Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz announced the extension on May 11, 2026, after McCollum’s first season ended at 24-13. The new deal runs through 2032 and adds one year to the original contract McCollum signed in 2025, which had been set to expire April 30, 2031. His 2026-27 compensation will jump to $4.35 million, an immediate raise of $1 million, with annual raises of $100,000 through 2031-32.

The extension also underscores how quickly McCollum has changed the tone around Iowa basketball. In one season, he took the Hawkeyes to the program’s first Elite Eight since 1987, a run that made him a target of national attention and fueled speculation about other high-profile jobs. McCollum publicly dismissed reports tying him to North Carolina during the tournament, calling them “lies,” and then stayed in Iowa City.

That decision matters in Storm Lake because McCollum’s profile was built long before he reached Carver-Hawkeye Arena. At Northwest Missouri State University, he won four NCAA Division II national championships in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022, establishing himself as one of the most accomplished coaches in the country before a one-season stop at Drake University and his move to Iowa as the 23rd head coach in program history.

Back home, the response has been unmistakable. Storm Lake St. Mary’s alumni and supporters formed a Ben McCollum Fan Club, and more than 100 people from the school and community traveled to Iowa City for a Jan. 3 game against UCLA wearing matching shirts. For Buena Vista County, McCollum’s extension is bigger than a contract number. It ties a local name to one of the state’s most visible sports stages and gives Storm Lake another reason to see itself in the Hawkeyes’ future.