Big Money in the Big Ten: Ben McCollum’s New Salary at Iowa

New Iowa men's basketball coach Ben McCollum has Hawkeye fans excited again about men's basketball at the University of Iowa. McCollum was one of the hottest college coaches available thanks to an amazing one season at Drake, which included over 30 wins and a first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament. Just how much did Iowa have to pay to land McCollum?

McCollum's contract details have been made public, thanks to Scott Dochterman at The Athletic. He reports that McCollum's deal with the University of Iowa is for six years and contains $3.35 million in guarantees. That number goes up to $4.1 million during the final year of the deal. The report also states that McCollum has a salary pool of $2.095 million to hire coaches and other staff.

The contract also contains a $5 million buyout starting in 2026, which decreases by $1 million each year after.

Can McCollum duplicate his success at Drake in the Big Ten at Iowa? He'll have his point guard from the Bulldogs, Bennett Stirtz, leading the way in Iowa City. Several other Drake players followed McCollum to Iowa as well. Iowa also landed sharpshooter Brendan Hausen and the Horizon League Player of the Year, Alvaro Folgueiras.

LET'S GO HAWKS! 

Headed to a game in Iowa City this season? Check out these great places to eat!